Children as young as 12 months old, with profound hearing loss, are benefiting from cochlear implant surgery.

Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program - Surgery

The day of surgery is often the most difficult for parents. It is normal to have feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, insecurity, and nervousness. There are a number of personal websites available on the Internet where parents have described their experience and posted pictures of their children right after surgery. It may be helpful to visit some of those websites (see Parents’ Perspectives), talk to other parents of children who have undergone cochlear implant surgery, and ask your child’s surgeon questions so that you can be fully prepared.

To help achieve a smooth transition to the operating room, the child will receive a sedative before leaving their hospital room. Most children are sleeping by the time they go to the operating room. Cochlear implant surgery typically lasts about 2-3 hours, with additional time necessary for the administration of anesthesia and safety monitoring devices and time in the recovery room to awaken. General anesthesia is very safe, even for very young healthy children. At Boys Town National Research Hospital, our anesthesiologists have extensive experience anesthetizing infants and small children as well as adults.

Once the patient is anesthetized, a small amount of hair is shaved above and behind the ear to be implanted. A small incision is then made behind the ear. At BTNRH, Dr. Lusk uses a "minimal access" incision, which is relatively small (about 2 inches). With the minimal access incision, very little hair needs to be shaved and the healing time is much shorter (about 1-2 weeks) than with a traditional incision (about a month). A small depression is created in the bone behind the ear for placement of the internal receiver/stimulator portion of the implant. A tiny opening is made into the cochlea, and the electrode array is inserted. The area around the electrode array is sealed, and the incision is sutured. Swelling is minimized by the application of a pressure bandage. It is also important to understand that effects of anesthesia can vary widely across children. Many children are able to eat and get up to go to the bathroom several hours after surgery. However, other children might experience nausea and vomiting after surgery. Pain is usually minimal after full awakening, and most patients only need Tylenol for comfort 24 hours after the operation.