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Cochlear
Implant Surgery is safe for the Elderly
Newswise — Contrary to conventional medical
wisdom, a new study by NYU Langone Medical
Center researchers shows that healthy
elderly patients with severe to profound
hearing loss can undergo a surgical
procedure to receive cochlear implants with
minimal risk.
“Due to concerns about the effects of
general anesthesia, many elderly people with
hearing loss are not receiving the implants
which can significantly improve their
hearing and quality of life,” according to
Anil Lalwani, M.D., Mendik Foundation
Professor of Otolaryngology and Chairman of
the Department of Otolaryngology at NYU
School of Medicine and a study co-author.
“The elderly are often incorrectly
considered too fragile for this life
transforming technology that can deliver
them from a world of silence and loneliness
to a world of hearing and engagement,” says
Dr. Lalwani. The new study is published in
the February issue of the journal The
Laryngoscope.
The National Institute on Aging estimates
that 30 % of Americans between ages 65 and
74 have hearing difficulty – and that number
increases to 50 percent in people 85 and
older.
In about 10% of the elderly, the impairment
is so severe that conventional hearing aids
provide little benefit.
The inability to
communicate interferes greatly with daily
living and can lead to cognitive impairment,
personality changes, depression, reduced
functional status and social isolation.
The researchers conducted a retrospective
chart review of 70 patients over 70 years of
age who received cochlear implants under
general anesthesia at NYU Langone Medical
Center between 1984 and 2007.
The patients were divided into risk groups
and intraoperative and postoperative
anesthesia-related complications were
identified.
Most patients tolerated the
procedure and there was no long-term
morbidity or mortality related to the
surgery or anesthesia.
The researchers concluded that general
anesthesia is well tolerated by elderly
patients undergoing cochlear implantation.
Any pre - existing medical condition is a
better predictor of intraoperative and
postoperative complication than age alone,
they observed.
Jung T. Kim, M.D. Vice chairman of the
Department of Anesthesiology at NYU School
of Medicine and a study co-author said “As
seniors embrace a healthy and active
lifestyle, it is important that age alone
should not deter a person from having
surgery that could potentially improve their
quality of life.”
About NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER
One of the world’s premier academic medical
institutions for more than 167 years, NYU
Langone Medical Center continues to be a
leader in patient care, physician education
and scientific research.
NYU Langone Medical Center is
internationally renowned for excellence in
areas such as cardiovascular disease,
orthopaedics, pediatrics, skin care,
neurosurgery, urology, cancer care, imaging,
rehabilitation medicine, plastic surgery,
minimally invasive surgery, transplant
surgery, infertility, and women’s health.
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