Hyderabad, Mar 17: In a significant milestone for hearing healthcare in India, doctors at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad, have successfully performed the country’s first Smart Cochlear Implant surgery on a three-year-old child suffering from severe hearing loss. The procedure marks an important advancement in cochlear implant technology and opens a new chapter in the treatment of profound hearing impairment.
Cochlear implantation is typically recommended for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss generally when hearing aids fail to provide sufficient benefit. In this case, the child had a hearing loss of more than 70 per cent, making the advanced implant a suitable option.
What makes the newly introduced Smart Cochlear Implant unique is its ability to receive future upgrades. In conventional cochlear implants, once the internal device is surgically implanted, it remains unchanged for life, and only the external sound processor can be upgraded. However, the new smart implant allows the internal implant firmware to be upgraded in the future, enabling the integration of improved signal-processing technologies without the need for another surgery.
In simple terms, much like smartphone applications that receive updates over time and gain new features, the smart cochlear implant can be enhanced with technological advancements. This capability ensures that patients can continue to benefit from evolving hearing technologies, extending the long-term usefulness of the implant.
Doctors explain that cochlear implantation is not just a surgical procedure but part of a comprehensive rehabilitation process that includes audiological evaluation, device programming and speech therapy.
The surgery was performed by a team led by Dr. Janardhan Rao Jagini, Head of the ENT Department and Senior Cochlear Implant Surgeon at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad. The team also included Dr. Shivaprasad Boddupalli, Chief Audiologist and Cochlear Implant Clinical Specialist, and Dr. Divya, Audiologist.
Experts emphasize that cochlear implantation at an early age significantly improves a child’s chances of developing normal speech and language skills. By receiving the smart cochlear implant at the age of three, the child is expected to have better hearing ability and improved language development in the future.
With this achievement, KIMS Hospitals continues to bring internationally advanced medical technologies to Indian patients and set new benchmarks in cochlear implant care, doctors said.
