Complication profile in a cochlear implantation- surgical audit in a large study population of low socio-economic status in a developing country

Abstract

Objectives To audit surgical complications and their management in cochlear implant (CI) recipients in a tertiary care referral otorhinolaryngology center in South India. Materials and methods Hospital data on 1,250 CI surgeries performed from June 2013 to December 2020 was reviewed. This is an analytical study with data collected from medical records. The demographic details, complications, management protocols and relevant literature were reviewed. Patients were divided into the following five age groups: 0–3 years, 3–6 years, 6–13 years, 13–18 years and above 18 years. Complications were divided into major and minor and complication occurrence was divided into peri-operative, early post-operative, and late post-operative, and the results were analyzed. Results The overall major complication rate was 9.04% (including 6.0% due to device failure). If the device failure rate was excluded, the major complication rate was 3.04%. The minor complication rate was 6%. Discussion CI is the gold standard in the management of patients with severe to profound hearing loss with minimal benefit from conventional hearing aids. Experienced tertiary care CI referral and teaching centers manage complicated implantation cases. Such centers typically audit their surgical complications, providing important reference data for young implant surgeons and newer centers. Conclusion Although not bereft of complications, the list of complications and its prevalence is sufficiently low to warrant the advocacy of CI worldwide, including developing countries with low socio-economic status.