Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 10, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Longitudinal Changes in Cochlear Implant Datalogging and Quality of Life Measures
Kara C Schvartz-Leyzac1, Isabelle J Chau1,2, Christian M Shannon1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
Objective:
To examine changes in datalogging statistics in adult cochlear implant (CI) users during their first post-CI year and evaluate their association with cochlear implant quality of life-35 (CIQOL-35) scores.
Study Design:
Retrospective longitudinal cohort study.
Setting:
Tertiary medical center.
Patients:
104 adult CI users with bilateral hearing loss.
Main Outcome Measures:
Hours of device use per day (h/d), percentage of use in various listening environments (quiet, noise, speech, music), and pre-/post-CI CIQOL-35 Profile scores were recorded at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months postactivation. Data were assessed using linear mixed-effects models.
Results:
Daily hours of CI use increased significantly from 1-month ( 11.2±3.3 h/d) to 3-months ( 11.8±3.2 h/d) postactivation, then plateaued from 3-months to 12-months ( 11.8±3.6 h/d) postactivation. Between 1 and 12 months, the percentage of time spent in Quiet increased (42% vs. 46%, P<0.001), while time spent in speech (31% vs. 28%, P=0.007) and Noise (20% vs. 18%, P=0.025) declined. Device use (h/d) was positively associated with CIQOL-35 scores (P<0.01). Increased percentage of time in noise was associated with poorer communication, emotional, environment, and social CIQOL-35 scores (P<0.01). Increased Music percentage was associated with higher Entertainment scores (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
Patients increasingly use their CI during the first 3 months postactivation and spend less time listening to speech and noise over the first 12 months. Associations between listening environments and certain CIQOL domains demonstrate that listening patterns and functional abilities might influence each other. Determining causality in future studies may enable more individualized counseling on device use for an improved early CI experience.
