Factors Impacting Datalogging After Prelingual Cochlear Implantation in Children

Children with prelingual deafness can experience delays in management and be especially vulnerable to socioeconomic factors affecting implant usage. We hypothesized that older age at cochlear implant and presence of additional comorbidity would be negatively correlated with usage as measured by datalogging.

Retrospective review of patient factors impacting children with prelingual deafness from 2008 to 2024 at a tertiary free-standing children's hospital. Multivariate and univariate regression analyses were used to identify associations with age at implantation, socioeconomic status, presence of additional comorbidity, and inner ear malformation between CI device usage.

A total of 102 patients met the inclusion criteria, with each ear being evaluated separately, leading to a total of 165 ears included in the study. The average age at implantation was 31.2 months (SD 32.6), and the mean daily average datalogging was 8.3 h/day (SD 4.6). Average daily datalogging was significantly lower in ears with the presence of cochlear malformation (6.8 vs. 9.5, p = 0.03), medical comorbidity (8.0 vs. 9.5, p = 0.0032), and non-White children (5.3 vs. 9.5 vs. 10.4, p = 0.0021). Age at implantation was not statistically associated with CI usage (r ² = 0.013, p = 0.268). Multivariate regression showed significant associations between inner ear malformation, race, presence of comorbidity, and time since implant activation on CI usage.

Our study represents one of the only analyses exclusively of this population with an objective usage output measure demonstrating variables impacting implant usage. This study provides additional data that can be used during patient selection and counseling both before and after this possibly life-altering intervention.