The use of cochlear implantation in the elderly

Abstract

Purpose of review To evaluate the impact of cochlear implantation on hearing outcomes, quality of life, complications, and cognitive function in elderly patients. Recent findings Nine articles published between 2014 and 2019 pertain to cochlear implantation in the elderly population. The findings conclude that cochlear implantation improves autonomy and overall quality of life in the elderly. Summary Design: a pubmed search was employed with title search terms ‘cochlear implant,’ AND ‘elderly’ or ‘aged.’ Twenty-one articles were generated. Of the 21, articles without evidence-based findings were excluded and those published more than 5 years ago were excluded, yielding a final number of nine articles for review. Results: nine articles published on the use of cochlear implantation in the elderly were identified through the literature search between the years 2014–2019. Outcomes included quality of life, speech recognition improvement, improvement in cognitive function as defined by geriatric validated scales, outcomes of hearing rehabilitation, improvement in verbal comprehension, surgical complications, and the ability to manage the external components of the device. Conclusion: cochlear implantation improves autonomy and the quality of life in the elderly. Age should not be a factor limiting surgical decision-making, and cochlear implantation can be utilized as a well tolerated, efficient treatment option for severe-to-profound hearing loss in the elderly population.

Comparing the Speech Perception of Cochlear Implant Users with Three Different Finnish Speech Intelligibility Tests in Noise

“…Despite this, the differences in the SRT estimates between the two age-groups were small and statistically insignificant. Multiple studies have reported excellent outcomes in elderly CI users [5,59], and our data corroborate these findings.…”

“…Cochlear implantation (CI) has been a standard treatment for severe-to-profound hearing loss (HL) for more than two decades. CIs are safe and effective intervention for HL [1][2][3][4], even in elderly patients [5]. Reaching open-set speech perception is currently a realistic and attainable goal for the majority of CI users [6][7][8].…”

Barriers to Adult Cochlear Implant Care in the United States: An Analysis of Health Care Delivery

“…58 59 60 Despite the incontrovertible benefits of CI in the elderly population, current Medicare criteria persistently discriminate against the geriatric population with hearing impairment. 61 62 63…”

Improvement of Working Memory and Processing Speed in Patients over 70 with Bilateral Hearing Impairment Following Unilateral Cochlear Implantation

“…Depending on the severity and localization of hearing impairment, rehabilitation of sensorineural hearing loss ranges from using a digital conventional hearing aid to cochlear implants (CIs). For the auditory rehabilitation of hard-of-hearing people, cochlear implants have been used successfully in various age groups, including the elderly, suggesting that advanced age is not a limitation for CI [ 25 ].…”