Cochlear implants: an international perspective--Latin American countries and Spain

A questionnaire to determine the status of cochlear implant programs was sent to 11 countries in Latin America and Spain. General data were collected based on the population of each country (1996), estimate of population with hearing disorders based on the 10 per cent figure of the World Health Organization. number of people with congenital or acquired sensorineural hearing loss, and candidates for implantation (children and adults). The survey reports the number of people from each country who have been implanted, the cost with respect to per capita annual income (PCAI), and how many people with respect to PCAI would cover the cost of a country's entire program. Also reported are the number who were implanted pre- or post-lingually and the estimate of future new candidates for implantation per year. In conclusion, the paper discusses the ethical and socio-economic issues for cochlear implantation in so-called third world developing countries.