The hospital stay is normally 3 or 4 days. The decision to proceed with an operation is usually straight forward, the device is safe and reliable, there is close cooperation between the members of the clinical team, and there is rarely a complication. For the individual patient, the procedure to place the implant may soon become a distant memory. Nevertheless there are a number of continuing points of interest to the doctors associated with cochlear implants. We are keen to check the health of the ear at least annually and there are several medical reasons for being interested in the progress with hearing and communication.
Surgeons have a duty of care to see that the overall management of the individual is appropriate.
Sometimes it is necessary to make a number of investigations and appointments for consultation with specialist clinicians before offering an implant. In particular we are very interested to assess the health of the hearing pathway from the inner ear to the brain. There has been a small number of multi-handicapped children deliberately included in the series. They are not expected to hear as clearly as the average or to have intelligible speech. With the help of the bionic ear these children may socialise better because of their awareness of frequently used phrases.