[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10866-10867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4823]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health


Consensus Development Conference on Cochlear Implants in Adults 
and Children

    Notice is hereby given of the NIH Consensus Development Conference 
on ``Cochlear Implants in Adults and Children,'' which will be held May 
15-17, 1995, in the Natcher Conference Center of the National 
Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. 
The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. on May 15, at 8 a.m. on May 16, and 
at 9 a.m. on May 17.
    Cochlear implants are effective options in habilitation and 
rehabilitation of individuals with profound hearing impairment. The 
vast majority of adults who are deaf and have cochlear implants derive 
substantial benefit from them when they are used in conjunction with 
speechreading, and a considerable number of implanted individuals can 
understand speech without visual clues. Benefits have also been 
observed in children including those who lost their hearing 
prelingually.
    The NIH sponsored a Consensus Development Conference on Cochlear 
Implants in 1988. Since then, implant technology has been continually 
improved. Questions unanswered at this time have now been resolved. 
However, new issues have emerged that must be addressed. For example, 
the performance of some severely to profoundly hearing-impaired adults 
using hearing aids is poorer than that of even more severely hearing-
impaired individuals using cochlear implants with advanced speech 
processing strategies. Therefore, the criteria for implantation should 
be re-examined. Prediction of implant efficacy in a specific individual 
remains a problem, and agreement does not exist on the definition of a 
successful implant user. Surgical and other risks and possible long-
term effects of cochlear implants require evaluation.
    Implantation of individuals with multiple disabilities, the 
elderly, and children, particularly children who are prelingually deaf, 
engender special questions. What educational setting is best for the 
development of speech and language in children who are deaf and have a 
cochlear implant? Are cochlear implants efficacious in children who are 
prelingually deaf?
    This conference will bring together specialists in auditory anatomy 
and physiology, otolaryngology, audiology, aural rehabilitation, 
education, speech and language pathology and other related disciplines 
as well as representatives from the public.
    After 1\1/2\ days of presentations and audience discussion, an 
independent, non-Federal consensus panel will weigh the scientific 
evidence and write a draft statement that it will present to the 
audience on the third day. The consensus statement will address the 
following key questions:
    * What factors affect the auditory performance of cochlear implant 
recipients?
    * What are the benefits and limitations of cochlear implantation?
    * What are the technical and safety considerations of cochlear 
implantation?
    * Who is a candidate for cochlear implantation?
    * What are the directions for future research on cochlear 
implantation?
    The primary sponsors for this conference are the National Institute 
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the NIH Office of 
Medical Applications of Research. The conference is cosponsored by the 
National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and 
Human Development, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders 
and Stroke. This is the 100th Consensus Development Conference held by 
NIH since the establishment of the Consensus Development Program in 
1977.
    On the second day of the conference, time has been allocated for 5-
minute formal oral presentations by concerned individuals or 
organizations. Those individuals or groups wishing to send a 
representative to contribute during this session must contact Ms. Elsa 
Bray by 5 p.m. eastern time, May 1, 1995 at: Office of Medical 
Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health, Federal 
Building, Room 618, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue MSC9120, Bethesda, Maryland 
20892-9120, phone (301) 496-1144. If the number of requests exceeds the 
slots available, presenters will be chosen by lot, and those selected 
will be notified by May 5, 1995.
    Advance information on the conference program and conference 
registration materials may be obtained from: Ann Besignano, Technical 
Resources International, Inc., 3202 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 200, 
Rockville, Maryland 20852, (301) 770-3153.
    The consensus statement will be submitted for publication in 
professional journals and other publications. In addition, the 
consensus statement will be available beginning May 17, 1995 from the 
NIH Consensus Program Information Service, P.O. Box 2577, Kensington, 
Maryland 20891, [[Page 10867]] phone 1-800-NIH-OMAR (1-800-644-6627).

    Dated: February 9, 1995.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 95-4823 Filed 2-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M