Sarvodaya Hospital Performs Youngest Cochlear Implant On 5-Month-Old Baby In India
New Delhi [India], November 21: Strengthening their commitment to serving people through quality medical services and empathetic care for over three decades, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad, achieved another medical breakthrough by treating a 5-months-old baby for congenital hearing impairment, making him the youngest in India to undergo cochlear implant surgery. The baby was suffering from congenital hearing [...]
New Delhi [India], November 21: Strengthening their commitment to serving people through quality medical services and empathetic care for over three decades, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad, achieved another medical breakthrough by treating a 5-months-old baby for congenital hearing impairment, making him the youngest in India to undergo cochlear implant surgery. The baby was suffering from congenital hearing impairment. The team of doctors led by Dr. Ravi Bhatia, Director- of ENT and Cochlear Implants, performed a cochlear implant, which involves the placement of a small electronic device into the ear of a patient suffering from hearing loss. This case also highlights the need and importance of screening and identifying conditions in young lives early on for optimal treatment and improved quality of life.
4-6 out of every 1000 children born in India are detected to have congenital hearing loss, a condition in which a child is born without the ability to hear. This type of hearing loss occurs either due to abnormal development of the auditory system during fetal development or as a result of genetic inheritance from the parents. Many newborns are not screened for hearing loss at birth. Hence, the actual incidence is expected to be much higher in the community.
The baby was brought to Sarvodaya Hospital’s Centre of ENT and Cochlear Implant at the age of 4.5 months after his grandparents noticed his lack of response to basic every day sounds like claps and cooker whistles. The baby’s father was also suffering from congenital hearing impairment, which led to a rise in the family’s concern about the baby. Prior to this, the baby was screened at a local clinic, and the diagnosis revealed a profound hearing loss in both his ears. A detailed audiological evaluation was conducted once he was brought to Sarvodaya Hospital comprising advanced diagnostic tools, including Tympanometry (test to assess the functioning of the middle ear), Oto-Acoustic Emissions (measures cell function in the inner ear), Auditory Brainstem Response (used to assess the function of Auditory nerve and Auditory pathway), and imaging studies like CT and MRI, which confirmed the severity of his condition. Post this, the team of doctors decided to conduct a cochlear implant surgery, and now, at 10 months old, the baby is living a healthy, normal life following the successful procedure.