Cochlear implants in children: an analysis of use over a three-year period

This study aimed to determine whether children continue to wear their cochlear implant systems 1 and 3 years after implantation.

The design was a prospective study based on the analysis of forced-choice questionnaires on implant use completed independently by parents and teachers.

The study was performed at a dedicated pediatric cochlear implant program in a tertiary referral center in the United Kingdom.

All 85 consecutively implanted children who had reached the 1-year interval after implantation and 37 children who had reached the 3-year assessment interval after implantation participated. The patients represented all socioeconomic status groups, the entire range of educational settings, and often lived at a considerable distance from the implant center.

Parents and local teachers were asked to describe implant use in the following categories: 1) all of the time; 2) most of the time; 3) some of the time; and 4) none of the time.

One year after implantation, parents and teachers, respectively, rated 79 (93%) and 82 (96%) children as full-time users (category 1). Parents rated six children (7%) as users most of the time (category 2), and teachers rated three children (4%) as users most of the time. No child was rated as an occasional or nonuser (category 3 or 4). At 3 years after implantation, 33 (89%) and 34 (95%) children were rated as full-time users (category 1) by parents and teachers, respectively. Parents judged four children (11%) and teachers rated two children (5%) to be users most of the time (category 2). Again, no child was rated in category 3 or 4 as an occasional or nonuser.

The majority of implanted children use their implant systems all of the time over a 3-year period after implantation when selected appropriately and given appropriate follow-up.