Adult Cochlear Implantation

[Jacob Hunter MD]
A cochlear implant is essentially a little wire that we place in the cochlea that fires directly on the hearing nerve, and so the idea is that when patients can no longer receive any benefit from a hearing aid, and a hearing aid, again, is basically just a microphone that's boosting the sound into the ear, then we start talking about a cochlear implant. At least the way I felt I was trained was that maybe when people are struggling with their hearing aids, they might be a cochlear implant candidate, and that can be the case, but many times hearing aids aren't fitted appropriately. I know the idea is trying to get a hearing aid off the store shelf, and there's some benefit to that, but also some complications. But many people struggle with their hearing aids, so that's not the easiest rule of thumb. Generally, when they're at the limits, then they're a candidate for this surgical procedure to place the wire in the cochlea, so to speak.

[Ashley Agan MD]
I think, for some people, when they think cochlear implant, they think it's going to be something that's just completely implanted and that you don't really see it all. So can you talk about the components, or when we see these patients who have the external process, what all is going on underneath that?

[Jacob Hunter MD]
That is a good point. I actually do have a conversation probably once a week to delineate that key feature. While the wire is in the cochlea and you have essentially a computer under the skin, you're also wearing an external device that allows people to still hear or allows that patient to hear, transmitting the information through the skin into the computer underneath, so you have that external device. Generally, I joke with patients that they can take it off and they won't be able to hear their spouse if they so choose, but their spouse will clearly know that they're not listening to them.