Sarvodaya Hospital has successfully treated India's second youngest child with severe hearing loss using a cochlear implant.

Faridabad: Sarvodaya Hospital in Faridabad has achieved has treated 6-month-old baby with congenital hearing loss. This case marks the second youngest successful cochlear implant in India.

Both parents of the child were deaf and mute, leading them to seek early screening for their baby. Diagnostic tests, including Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), which are crucial for assessing hearing loss in infants and young children, were conducted. The results showed that the baby had congenital hearing loss in both ears, a condition where a child is born without the ability to hear due to abnormal auditory system development during fetal growth or genetic inheritance from the parents. Following the diagnosis, the baby underwent cochlear implant surgery and successfully gained the ability to hear.

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that help people with severe hearing loss hear sounds. They work by bypassing damaged parts of the ear and directly stimulating the hearing nerve. The device has two parts: Internal device is surgically placed inside the ear, and the external device comprises of speech processor, a transmitting coil, and a microphone. The external device receives the sound and converts them into digital signals, these signals are transferred to the internal device, which stimulates the auditory nerve. Together, they help send sound signals to the brain, allowing the person to hear.

Commenting on the case, Dr Ravi Bhatia, Director- ENT and Cochlear Implants, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad, said, “6-8 out of every 1000 children born in India are detected to have congenital hearing loss, although, a large number of newborns are not screened for hearing loss at birth, hence, the actual incidence is expected to be much higher in the community. Globally, the success rate of cochlear implant surgeries in both children and adults exceeds 98%. While cochlear implants can be performed at any age, the timing of hearing loss onset significantly affects outcomes. Early identification and intervention are particularly crucial for children with severe to profound hearing loss, yielding immediate and positive responses. This was a critical case in which both parents of the baby were deaf and mute, which led the grandparents to get the baby screened. For children, cochlear implants can be life-changing, allowing them to engage with the auditory world, develop typical speech, language milestones, and compete with their peers who have normal hearing. Cochlear implant surgery has proven to be highly successful for both children and adults.”

Mr. Raja Suman, Chief Audiologist, Centre of ENT and Cochlear Implant, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad, further added, “The child underwent continuous monitoring to ensure optimal progress. Our team of professionals, including audiologists, auditory-verbal therapists, and speech-language pathologists, closely tracked the child's auditory development, speech, and language. This comprehensive approach aimed to provide tailored support and guidance throughout the rehabilitation process, enabling the child to hear successfully."