Nagpur:A 14 month old baby from Nagpur underwent cochlear implant surgery at Alexis Hospital, Nagpur marking it as the first Cochlear Implant Surgery at the hospital. Parents of the infant had noticed hearing impairment in their child and found that implant could help him lead a better life by language and speech development.
Speaking on the concern, Dr Pratik Parma, ENT Surgeon at Alexis hospital who operated on a 14 month old child with his mentor said that, “Children should be screened on priority basis for hearing. Pediatrician, gynecologist and general practitioners play a big role in screening and referral of such patients to the cochlear implant center.”
Cochlear Implant is a gold standard surgery for children who are profoundly deaf (Hearing loss more than 90 Decibel). A cochlear implant is a small electronic device generally advised to people with severe to profound hearing loss not benefitted by conventional amplification devices. Cochlear implant team includes Dr Pratik Parma (ENT & Implant Surgeon), Anesthesiologist, Dr. Ajay Patekar, Senior Pediatrician Dr. Bhaskar Gupta, Audiologist, MrsIshitiaMandaviya, Hospital Administrator, Dr Aashish Dhage and operation theater staff who play a amajor role in supporting this successful surgery.
The earliest this device is implanted, the sooner a child can hear and develop spoken language. Cochlear Implant is a boon for children born with deafness.
Dr. Nilesh Agrawal, Director Administration at Alexis shares “In India, four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing loss, with over 100,000 babies born with hearing deficiency every year. The estimated prevalence of adult-onset deafness in India is 7.6% and childhood onset deafness 2%, according to Union Health Ministry. Hearing disability is the second most common cause of disability in India. We are happy we have added this service at our hospital and are able to extend this to our patrons.”
This underscores the hospital’s unwavering commitment and a benchmark in delivering exceptional healthcare services across a wide range of medical specialties for age groups. This reaffirms Alexis Hospital’s unwavering dedication to patient well-being, clinical expertise, and commitment to excellence sets it apart as a trusted healthcare provider.People across age groups can get benefit from hearing aids, cochlear Implants and other assistive devices. However, those patients including children and adults who are having significant or profound hearing losses can be benefitted from cochlear implant surgery.
Alexis Hospital, one of the leading healthcare institutions in Nagpur, which was once again honoured with the Best Multispeciality Hospital Award for the fourth consecutive year by The Week, Best Hospital Survey 2023 performs its maiden cochlear implant surgery flagging off its latest service addition to the list.
Why it’s important to act early”
The quantity of words & conversation a child is exposed to influences the brain development and helps develop vocabulary & academic outcomes. Young children need access to millions of words & thousands of hours of listening to develop spoken language & literacy. For children with hearing loss, sounds do not reach the brain as they should. They miss out on the opportunity to develop the neural pathways of such fundamental importance for their development.
By acting early, we can help them to develop the skills they need to live life to the fullest, reach every milestone, enjoy every moment, andfully connect with the world of sound around them.
In a surgical procedure of 2-3 hours, an implant is placed inside the inner ear of the patient. After this implantation a child has to undergo rigorous speech therapy session for at least two years. With the help of this procedure deaf children can learn to hear and speak. To diagnose if a new born can hear or not, early hearing screening is necessary. OAE (mention full form also), which is a basic hearing screening test, is performed to check whether a child can hear or not or the child is hearing impaired. This test can be done after second day of the birth. Once the implant is placed surgically, activation of the device is carried out where in the internal device is connected to the external device and the infant gets his first experience to the world of sound.
About Alexis Multispecialty Hospital – www.alexishospital.com
Alexis Multispecialty Hospital is an offering and initiative of the Zulekha Healthcare Group, UAE to help serve the entire Central India community by providing the highest quality of medical care across various disciplines. The hospital has a team of renowned specialists and medical personnel supported by latest cutting-edge technology offering all-round care and comfort.
This state-of-the-art distinctive 200 bedded set up offers end-to-end multispecialty services in the areas of Comprehensive Oncology Care & Radiotherapy, Cardiac Sciences, Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, Critical Care, Minimal Invasive Surgery, Urology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Gynaecology, Paediatrics& Neonatology, Critical Care (CCU, ICU, NICU, SICU) & Internal Medicine, Joint Replacement & Arthroscopy, Trauma Services, Interventional Radiology & Preventive Medicines. Alexis Multispecialty Hospital also has a Comprehensive Organ Transplant Unit.
