Frisky Feline

Last weekend, I learned that anyone who received the CI and they are suppose to have re surgery for the updated CI that only last long for 10 years . More than 10 yrs then those ci users may have some headaches or something going on with head. One of them who had CI were told by doctor that ci users need to replace with CI every 10 years. He went through the another surgery CI. He told one of my friends and then my friend told me. I am not aware about it.

Wonder if its true about 10 yrs of using CI and need to replace it ?

Deafness

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Daredevel7

I'll get back to you in 7 years.

Honestly, I doubt it because I'm guessing you are gonna have a lot of responses that are not correlated with the 10 year mark.

Type of response 1: Problems with the implant, but WAY before (more likely) or WAY after 10 year mark.
Type of response 2: No problems with implant at all for those who've had it 10+ years.

GrendelQ

I wish I had the reference to this, but I don't recall where I saw it: I've read that most problems people have with implants occur in the first year, that's when failures typically happen if they are going to. And I've met a whole bunch of young people who've had CIs in place for longer than 10 years.

At least one of the CI firms say the internal electrode array and receiver technology is physically designed to last for 70 years. That's theoretical, though, and based on the materials, I assume -- obviously no one has given CIs a 70-year long.

Could it be that the discussion was around replacing the external processor and not the implant? We've already had one upgrade in less than 4 years.

And when you think about high-tech equipment, even if it's still plugging along, how many of us would want to use something from 70 years ago? I'm looking at a 6 year old computer right now that I'd like to replace, even though it works just fine. We laugh at those massive cell phones and disc man cd players / boomboxes from the 80s now. I'm hoping that many upgrades can be made to her external components, with the existing internal parts used for a long while as a straightforward delivery system, but I'm suspecting my daughter will have an opportunity to replace her implant when she's a young adult, if not sooner.

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DeafCaroline

You might find this interesting reading: cochlear implant failures and recalls.

CI and FAILURES « PEOPLE OF THE EYE -

Cloggy

Re-implants are done without too much problems.. MAUD database is having several references to it..
here is an article by Rachel whose CI stopped working after 13 years, and explaining how much time it took to get back to "normal".

Be sure to start a the bottom of her story, as the last post is at the top..
Cochlear Implant Failure Experiences

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Cloggy

Interesting link... Hard to read with all the repetitive language.. But OK.. However, I stopped reading when I read.. "attached to the brain"
GONE out the window went all credibility.. If this is the way people are informing other people....

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Frisky Feline

I see that there is the most recent news. interesting.

posts from hell

...right. And I googled it all up... Seems credible.

DeafCaroline

Ok, then you might find this more credible. But the blogger does raise an interesting question - why aren't failures and malfunctions being reported? If one truly wants an unbiased view of CIs then all information should be reported, not just the more favourable reports:

Reliability and complication... [Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI

Characteristics of malfunctioning channels in p... [Laryngoscope. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS:

To examine the characteristics of pediatric cochlear implant channel malfunction preceding device failure.
STUDY DESIGN:

: Retrospective review.
METHODS:

All pediatric patients who underwent cochlear implantation at a tertiary academic medical center were reviewed regarding device type, reason for replacement, time to replacement, and timing and pattern of channel faults in failed versus nonfailed devices.
RESULTS:

Between 1993 and 2008, 264 pediatric cochlear implantations were performed. With an average 894-day follow-up, the replacement rate was 9.5% (25/264). Reasons for replacement were device failure (6.4%), medical/surgical failure (2.3%), and obsolescence (0.8%). Replacement rates were comparable among Advanced Bionics (13.3%), Cochlear Corporation (6.3%), and MED-EL (10.3%) devices. Fifty-two cochlear implants developed at least one channel fault, and 13 eventually progressed to failure requiring replacement. MED-EL devices comprised 12 of these 13 failures. At the 12-month follow-up interval, one, three, and five channel faults predicted 40%, 75%, and 100% probabilities of eventual electrode failure, respectively. Channels destined to fail demonstrated small, yet statistically significant, impedance elevations 12 months before failure and large elevations 3 months before failure.
CONCLUSIONS:

Replacement of cochlear implants in pediatric patients is common and is due to device malfunction about one half of the time. Earlier initial channel fault, earlier subsequent channel faults, adjacent channel faults, and a greater total number of channel faults were associated with the need for replacement surgery. Elevations in a channel's impedance should raise the concern for an impending failure. These predictors can help the cochlear implant team when considering surgery to replace the device."

It makes me wince to think of a baby having to go through surgery again for a replacement device.

As a member of ProblemCIs group on yahoo, it appears that getting re-implanted is not always an easy smooth process and waiting periods could take a while and this results in some trauma for some patients.

posts from hell

I know a lady who got implanted.... explant/implanted.... explant/implanted.. in the same year.... she was 5.

And you're bringing this harder than I am.... Last time I went into a numbers debate with Grendel, I said closer to 1:100 than 1:1000 and with what you said.......... Just verifies what I am bringing out to the front.

Cloggy

excellent. Thanks for the info..
I agree.. Looks bad...
Mind you.. It's over a period of 15 years.. Hope it has improved in the last 5 years.. Still.. Looks bad..

But it looks that re-implanting is not a problem...

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Cloggy

Including the "attached to the brain" part?

I have to find a definition of "Attached to the brain"

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posts from hell

One could interpret that differently, It's stuck to a nerve ending, no? That connects to the brain, so in a way its attached to the brain.

Then again, I am not the type to say "oh that one sentence is not credible, therefore the whole message is not honest" and stick my head up my butt.

DeafCaroline

Science - The Globe and Mail

This article was published 6 days ago.

You say re-implantation is not a problem. The bigger issue here is devices being implanted before they were rigorously tested for durability and functionality. Re-implantation is not like getting a new bandaid - it's a rather costly laborious emotional procedure to go through...again.

Cloggy

Just found this piece of info:

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Frisky Feline

I am interested in finding more information to see if anyone who have RE SURGERY with CI due to many reasons what CI went FAIL. So far, I know two people who needed re surgery when they were young.

Sure, I am concerned about my hub that he has a CI. Hope he does not have to go through this thing with hospital. I ll wait when he hits close to 50 or before 50 to see if his CI is still good. I hope so!

Bottesini

Both sides of this argument get ridiculous in their claims, and none of you are credible, but I believe she was reimplanted if you strive at all for accuracy.

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faire_jour

Wirelessly posted

you don't have to be reimplanted until the device stops working. That could be 20 years after surgery, or unfortuantely, 20 minutes. It all depends on the actual device that goes inside you. I know of people who still have their devices from the 90's and others who are much less lucky.

as for the "attached to the brain" garbage. The electrodes lie inside the cochlea, inside the inner ear. It does not touch the nerve. Also, the rest of the device is outside the skull, just under the skin. Still not touching or "attached to the brain" whatsoever.

Cloggy

Good point...
... and we'll check with Rick48
--------
p.s.
Found it...
Wondering how long she had it before re-implant.. Minimum of 11 years... Maximum 21...
Like faire_jour said...

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AlleyCat

You're absolutely right, Botts. Rick48 has since posted that she's been since re-implanted since her original implant failed (or died, whatever it is called).

posts from hell

Watch youtube - there's nothing scientific about putting an electrode into a cochlea... Even you could do it once its opened for you.

Cloggy

So the implant failed after 12 years

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Cloggy

And this confirms for you "attached to the brain"... how?

About your totally irrelevant post regarding science.... You really have no clue about the size of the cochlea, the size of the electrodes and how far they optimally should be inserted....
Perhaps things look easier on YouTube...

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posts from hell

see my previous posts.

GrendelQ

The electrode array isn't attached to the brain or stuck to the nerve ending: it is threaded through the cochlea and placed very close to the auditory nerve, in relation to the nerve fibers responsible for transmitting speech sounds when stimulated. Individual channels are said to 'fail' or shut down if they are in a position where the electrical connection can't be made from electrode to nerve fibers. Often it's not so much a 'device' failure, but a surgical placement issue that can cause the electrical stimulation not to happen.

My daughter has one channel that was determined not to be transmitting on the operating table. Doesn't mean the CI is 'broken', but simply that this electrode, this channel, isn't in place to send the signal as planned. So, that one was shut down and another programmed to pick up the sounds in its place. Impedance -- or measure of the signal -- for each channel is tested at each mapping. If too many (I think it's ~ 7 or 9+ channels, but there's some magic number used) are no longer sending signals, the sound quality is so greatly reduced that's it's considered a failure -- because the quality ends up being much like some of the earlier generations of CIs that people often refer to online as being examples of what people hear with CIs.

It's pretty common for people to experience these channel failures, and yet, like my daughter, to still have extremely good access to sound. When the whole device shuts down, that's more rare and requires reimplantation, rather than just adjusting the programming.

A study or data that details results at a particular clinic or hospital, as well as results specific to particular types of CIs, such as this one referred to, is very important. A friend who is a surgeon and I reviewed similar data at two hospitals we were considering, as well as results for individual surgeons, and we chose our clinic, and our CI, and our very experienced surgeon intentionally, looking at such outcomes.

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Cloggy

Well.... I'm sorry but I thought you were just being funny.... since that nerve is also connected to the cochlea, to the middle ear, the throat, the stomach... the bowels and lower regions...
So you were serious?
(btw.. still not seeing the "science and easy" connection..)

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Frisky Feline

Thank you for whose people who answered about the second time of having surgery.

Lissa

I'm 10 years and 11 months post implant, my implant is working normally. 3 of my electrodes never was turned on due to something.

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lissa, 23, profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
http://bioniclissa.blogspot.co.uk/

Frisky Feline

I have no idea that a few electrodes can go wrong that there is nothing to do about it.

Grummer

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