Cochlear Implants

Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants give a 'sensation ' of hearing if you are profoundly deaf. It is an electronic device that is made up of two parts. An external part that is worn like a hearing aid, on the side of the head or clipped to clothing. This part has the sound processor, which translates sound into electric signals and then sends these to the internal part which is surgically implanted in the ear. Electrodes fitted into the cochlea of the ear transmit the electrical signals from the sound processor to the auditory nerve. Your brain then interprets these signals as sound. To maximise communication, lip reading may need to be used.

Factors which affect effectiveness:

other people talking
noise from equipment, eg heaters, OHP fans, fluorescent lights
moving chairs, rustling papers etc
noise from outside

a poor view of the speaker
speaker too far away
speaker's face badly lit

Support Strategies

Try to provide as quiet an environment as possible (see above)
If possible one person at a time speaking
The implant uses a directional microphone - it is most sensitive to sound coming from the front and the same side as the implant.
Make sure the speaker's face is well lit to allow for lipreading.

Ø Discuss the best seating arrangement for the pupil. This will vary from subject to subject.

When using videos provide a summary of information.

Additional Information

If the cochlear implant is not working then the pupil will be deaf.
If the external sound processor is not being worn, for example, if the pupil is swimming remember that the pupil will not be able to hear. This is especially important as bells and fire alarms will be inaudible.

Ø For Sports please read the section on Safety for Cochlear Implant Users: Sports

Ø For Science please read the section on Safety for Cochlear Implant Users: Science

Safety for Cochlear Implant Users: Static Electricity

Static Electricity can cause two types of problems with cochlear implant users. Firstly, and most commonly, temporary corruption of the map can occur, but this can be easily rectified at the implant centre. Secondly, and extremely rarely, there have been a few reports of damage to the internal parts of the implant. Of those, which have occurred, the majority has been caused by plastic slides.

Children’s plastic play equipment e.g. plastic slides, crawl tunnels, ball pools. Remove the external parts of the implant, before playing on plastic equipment. It is not sufficient to simply switch off the processor.

School science lessons; Remove all the external parts of the processor when experimenting with static electricity. Van der Graaf generators, as found in school science departments, should never be used by cochlear implant users because they produce very high levels of static electricity.

Clothing Leads and processors should always be worn under clothing so that they do not rub against anything that is charged. When choosing clothes, cotton and natural fibres are best because they are less likely to build up static than man made materials. Fabric conditioner can further reduce the problem. When dressing put the implant equipment on last, and when undressing remove it first. (This is because pulling clothes off can cause a charge to build up.)

Getting out of a car: To avoid getting static shock, adults and older children should keep a hold of the car door until their feet touch the ground. Younger children should be helped out of the car for the same reason.

TV screens and computer monitors You should avoid any of the equipment brushing against the TV screen and discourage young children from touching it. Regular cleaning with an anti-static spray will help to reduce the build up of charge on the screen. The risk of problems from computer screens is very small, but could be reduced even further by fixing an anti-static screen to the computer.

Touch screen computer programs are unlikely to cause problems, but if the software can be operated by using the rubber on the end of a pencil, this will minimise the risk

Touching the speech processor it is possible that you can accumulate a charge yourself and pass it on to the processor when you pick it up. To prevent this happening use the two step approach:

a) When removing a person’s processor; Step 1. Touch the person’s body. Step 2. Touch the equipment

b) When picking up a speech processor from a table: Step 1. Touch the table. Step 2. Pick up the processor.

Safety for Cochlear Implant Users: Sports

Standard play activities and non-contact sports e.g. tennis, golf, badminton, running, rounders. The transmitter and processor should be securely worn and protected from physical damage such as knocks, water sand etc.

Vigorous sports e.g., football, netball, squashes. It may be advisable to remove the external parts of the system.

Contact sports e.g. boxing, kick boxing. Cochlear implant users should not participate in sports where physical injuries and pressure to the head are inevitable or likely. For sports like hockey and rugby where there is some risk of blows to the head, the external ports should be removed and a form of head protection should be worn. (E.g. a scum cap)

Sports where a helmet is recommended e.g. cycling, riding, sailing. These sports are acceptable. A helmet will help to protect the cochlear implant site from any blows. The helmet should be of a high quality. The padding may need to be modified around the implant site and the external parts removed so that no pressure is applied directly an to the body of the implant scar.

Water sports e.g. swimmimg, shallow diving, snorkelling. The external parts should be removed. If goggles ore worn, care should be taken to ensure that the strap is not too tight over the sight of the receiver under the skin. 5cuba diving or diving to any depth is not recommended because of the potential risk of pressure to the implant. For sailing and canoeing, a helmet is advisable

Gymnastics This should be undertaken with caution. A scrum cap will provide some protection. Once again the external parts should be removed.

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