Delayed postoperative complications in 624 consecutive cochlear implantation cases

Abstract

Background: Sensorineural hearing loss can be cured by cochlear implantation (CI), but complications can occur. Based on when the complications develop, they are categorized as intraoperative complications, early postoperative complications, or delayed postoperative complications (>3 months after the surgery).

Aims/objectives: We aimed to investigate the occurrence of delayed complications after CI surgery, and identify appropriate management methods.

Material and methods: We analyzed 624 sensorineural hearing loss patients who had been consecutively treated with CI using the conventional surgical technique in our institution and had been followed-up until September 2017.

Results: A total of 43 (6.86%) patients out of the 624 CIs (627 ears) reported complications, and 9 (1.44%) were major complications and 34 (5.42%) were minor complications. Wound infection and device failure were the most common major complications, and hematoma was the most common minor complication.

Conclusions and significance: CI surgery is a relatively mature technology; the incidence of complications is low, and with early diagnosis and treatment most complications have a good prognosis. Head trauma was the main reason for children’s complications, and patients and guardians should be given good education preoperatively about how to manage the CI postoperatively.

Chinese abstract

背景：感音神经性听力损失可以通过人工耳蜗植入（CI）治愈, 但可能会发生并发症。根据并发症的发生时间, 将其分为术中并发症、术后早期并发症或术后延迟并发症（术后 3 个月以上）。

目的：调查 CI 手术后延迟并发症的发生情况, 并确定适当的处理方法。

材料和方法：我们分析了 624 名感音神经性听力损失患者。他们在我院连续接受了通过常规手术的 CI 治疗, 并被随访至 2017 年 9 月。

结果：在624 个 CI（627 只耳朵）中, 共有 43 个（6.86%）患者报告了并发症, 9 个

(1.44%) 是主要并发症, 34 (5.42%) 是轻微并发症。伤口感染和CL故障是最常见的主要并发症, 血肿是最常见的轻微并发症。

结论与意义：CI手术是一项相对成熟的技术；并发症发生率低, 经早期诊断和治疗后, 大多数并发症预后良好。头外伤是儿童并发症的主要原因。术前应指导患者和监护人, 让他们了解如何在术后维护 CI。

Keywords:

• Cochlear implantation
• postoperative complication
• management

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grants from The Project of Invigorating Health Care through Science, Technology and Education, Jiangsu Provincial Key Medical Discipline [ZDXKB2016015] and Jiangsu Provincial 14th batch of "six talent peak" high-level talents project [YY-073].