Latin American experience with the cochlear implant.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Cochlear implantation is a vital treatment for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss.
• Assessing the safety and efficacy of various cochlear implant devices and surgical techniques is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Understanding complication rates and contributing factors informs best practices in audiological surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review the surgical experience with cochlear implants across Latin America.
• To identify device-specific and technique-related factors influencing complication rates.
• To compare Latin American outcomes with international benchmarks.

Main Methods:

• A detailed questionnaire was distributed to cochlear implant centers throughout Latin America.
• Data collected included device type, surgical techniques, and incidence of complications like migration, extrusion, and implant failure.
• The study encompassed 3773 implanted patients, representing 92% of the region's cases.

Main Results:

• Complication rates were generally low: migration (0.35%), extrusion (0.4%), and implant failure (2.28% spontaneous, 0.48% trauma-related).
• Ceramic implants showed higher spontaneous failure rates (5.72%) compared to soft implants (0.45%).
• The Nucleus 24 device demonstrated a low failure rate of 0.3%.

Conclusions:

• Device type significantly influences complication risks, particularly spontaneous implant failure and migration.
• While device characteristics matter, meticulous surgical technique appears paramount in minimizing complications.
• The overall experience and outcomes in Latin America are consistent with previously published international data.