RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN SEARCHING:
‘ESSENTIAL OILS’ <=> ‘ESSENTIAL OIL’
‘BREAD WITH SEEDS’ <=> ‘BREAD SEEDS’
'ESSENTIAL OIL' <=> 'PRANAROM ESSENTIAL OIL'
* The result also can include products / manufacturers that have words that are similar to the one you are looking for, even if they do not match exactly.
[ 2022-08-14 ] ⏳ Reading time: less than a minute
The technology to hear again. The cochlear implant is one of the great medical advances in recent history and the most important in the field of hearing health.
Cochlear implantation is a relatively new technology that has revolutionized the world of profound hearing impairment because it allows people to perceive sounds and understand speech who could not do so naturally. The first implant was performed in France in 1957, but the technology did not reach Spain until 1985, and it was not until 1990 that a public center, the University Hospital of Salamanca, was authorized to carry out this operation. In these years, implants have undergone a great evolution, which has allowed the creation of smaller, more comfortable and more efficient sound processors.
Unlike a hearing aid, which is an external device that amplifies sound, useful for people with mild and moderate hearing loss, cochlear implants are indicated for people with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The reason is that if the ear damage is too severe, amplifying the sound with a traditional hearing aid does not solve the problem. In so-called sensorineural hearing losses, the hair cells in the inner ear are too damaged or insufficient to provide proper hearing. Cochlear implants work like a transducer, transforming sound into electrical signals to the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged cells. The auditory nerve sends the signals generated by the implant to the brain, and the brain recognizes them as sound.
Cutting edge technology
Cochlear implants are high-tech devices that consist of two parts. The external part, which is visible, consists of a sound processor, cable, microphone and antenna, and the internal part is a receiver that is surgically placed under the skin, in the temporal bone. The two parts, external and internal, are brought into contact through a magnet.
Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 20,000 implanted people in Spain, according to data from the Federation of Cochlear Implant Associations (AICE), of which 60 percent are adults and 40 percent are children.
A multidisciplinary team of specialists has to assess each case individually and, after carrying out a series of tests, determine whether or not the person with bilateral severe-profound hearing loss (in both ears) is a candidate for an implant. It is indicated both for people with congenital hearing loss and for those who have lost their hearing suddenly or progressively. In children with hearing loss, especially those who have not yet learned to speak, the implant is recommended between 12 and 18 months of age, since hearing plays a very important role in language development. For adults, there is no upper age limit for a cochlear implant.
Also suitable candidates for a cochlear implant are adults who have previously used a hearing aid and are therefore able to speak and have an auditory memory.
Recovery from surgery takes three to five weeks, after which the implant is attached to the outside of the device and calibrated using an individualized program. At this time you can start the hearing re-education process.
Implant results
Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from hearing with natural hearing, and learning can take time. Results vary depending on the age at which the hearing was lost and the time between the hearing loss and the cochlear implant. In children, the best results are obtained with implantation at an early age.
It takes time and rehabilitation to learn to interpret the signals received from a cochlear implant. Rehabilitation is estimated to last between six months and a year. After one year of use, most people with cochlear implants achieve significant results in understanding speech.
The final results depend on the patient decade, but in general, hearing sensation is recovered, different sounds are distinguished, the most common ones are identified, control of one's own voice improves, and conversations are easier to understand.
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cochlear_implant2.jpg
When you visit any website, it may collect or store information on your browser, generally through the use of cookies. This information may be about you, your preferences, or your device, and is used primarily to make the site work as expected. The information generally does not directly identify you, but it can provide you with a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow us to use certain cookies. Click on each category heading to learn more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience on the site and the services we can offer.
[Cookies Policy] [More information]These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be disabled in our systems. They are usually configured to respond to actions you take to receive services, such as adjusting your privacy preferences, logging into the site, or filling out forms. You can set your browser to block or alert the presence of these cookies, but some parts of the website will not work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most or least popular, and to see how many people visit the site. All the information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you visited our site, and therefore we will not be able to know when you visited it.
These cookies allow the site to offer better functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third parties whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies some of our services will not work properly. It also enables storage related to security, such as authentication functionality, fraud prevention, and other user protection.
These cookies may be throughout the website, placed by our advertising partners. These businesses may use them to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. They do not store personal information directly, but are based on the unique identification of your browser and Internet access device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will have less targeted advertising.
These cookies are set by a number of social networking services that we have added to the site to allow you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are able to track your browser across other sites and create a profile of your interests. This may modify the content and messages you find on other web pages you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you will not be able to see or use these sharing tools.
