There is a common denominator between people who have a cochlear implant. Everyone recognizes that there is a before and after: hearing again has changed their lives. It is the case of Jesus Rodriguezwho at the age of 25 lost hearing in both ears due to Cogan syndrome. In just three days, Rodríguez stopped hearing completely, but eight years later and thanks to a cochlear implant, is moved when she remembers when she heard her daughter’s voice again. An emotion, that of hearing again, that she shares with 14 thousand other implanted Spaniards, who this Saturday will celebrate the International Cochlear Implant Day.
It was also February 25, but in 1957, when the first operation to place a cochlear implant. Since then this intervention has undergone a great technological evolution, which has allowed the creation much smaller implants that provide the user with better hearing. In fact, this reduction in size has even made it possible to implementation among the youngest children, a fundamental factor when it comes to demonstrating that the sooner the hearing disorder is detected and the implant is performed, the more likely it is that the child can have normal development. Experts are categorical about this: early intervention is 95% effective.
When it comes to adults who have lost hearing due to injury or illness, success with implants is around 85% and the benefits are also greater the sooner the implant is received, since the person has not yet lost hearing. auditory memory.
Simple surgical intervention
The cochlear implant technique involves a simple surgical intervention, which consists of the implantation of a Electronic device with which acoustic signals are transformed into electrical impulses that stimulate the auditory nerve and send sound to the brain. After the operation, users not only regain hearing ability but can speak more clearly and understand language easily. What was said at the beginning: a new and better life.
Hearing again also opens new doors and offers the possibility of fulfilling old challenges or dreams. In the case of Jesús Rodríguez, the cochlear implant allowed him to practice law, which is the career he had studied, “something that, due to my situation after suffering from Cogan Syndrome, was unthinkable.”
UMusicwhich adds to the celebration of International Cochlear Implant Daycount with one specific area dedicated to hearing implantswhich is specified in 57 centers reference where patients are supported, offering them personalized attention and follow-up once they have undergone the surgical intervention. Furthermore, since 1988, it has been the exclusive distributor in Spain of the international firm Cochlear, world leader in cochlear implants. Interested persons can make a first appointment through the company website.
Implantation centers
In Spain there are currently 40 implantation centers in all autonomous communities, except Cantabria, La Rioja, Ceuta and Melilla. Both the study and the surgical treatment are fully subsidized by public health, as long as they are carried out in accredited centers.
After the implantation, it is necessary to carry out a rehabilitation process to hear again in which different professionals intervene: the otorhinolaryngologisthe neurophysiologisthe psychologisthe speech therapist and the hearing care professional. After the operation, the implanted person must attend programming and adjustment sessions for the cochlear implant, in addition to undergoing hearing rehabilitation in a specialized center with the support and monitoring of an audiology professional.
