Long-Term Outcomes of Cochlear Implants in Philoprogenitive Families: Addressing Disparities

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Otolaryngology
• Speech-language pathology

Background:

• Parental involvement is key for pediatric cochlear implant (CI) success.
• The impact of family structure, including multiple CI siblings and parental experience, on CI outcomes needs further investigation.
• Understanding these family dynamics can refine auditory rehabilitation for complex cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess how the number of siblings with CIs and parental CI experience affect speech perception in pediatric CI users.
• To identify factors influencing auditory rehabilitation outcomes within families with multiple CI recipients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective data collection from 2018-2023 on families with multiple pediatric CI recipients and single-CI controls.
• Analysis of sibling number, birth order, and parental CI experience on speech perception 5 years post-implantation.
• Utilized the Hebrew version of the Arthur Boothroyd word test (HAB) for speech perception scores and conducted multivariate analysis.

Main Results:

• 140 children were included: 102 from multi-CI families and 38 controls.
• Fewer CI-recipient siblings were linked to significantly better 5-year speech perception outcomes (P=0.03).
• Children with CI-experienced parents had earlier surgery (median 1.1 vs. 1.8 years, P=0.017) and improved speech scores (P=0.04).

Conclusions:

• Reduced number of siblings with CIs and parental CI experience are associated with earlier intervention and enhanced speech outcomes.
• These findings underscore the importance of a family-centered strategy in pediatric cochlear implantation.
• Addressing family-specific factors can help mitigate disparities and improve outcomes for pediatric CI recipients.