{"id":20649,"date":"2019-02-25T15:24:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T15:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrykskarzynski.pl\/?p=20649"},"modified":"2020-01-31T10:24:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T10:24:24","slug":"international-cochlear-implant-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrykskarzynski.pl\/?p=20649&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"International Cochlear Implant Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 25th<\/sup> marks the International Cochlear Implant Day and the 62th<\/sup> anniversary of world\u2019s first implantation of a cochlear implant. In Poland, the first surgery making use of this technique to restore hearing in a deaf patient was performed on July 16th<\/sup>, 1992 by Prof. Henryk Skar\u017cy\u0144ski. On the next day, a surgery was performed to implant a cochlear device in a deaf pediatric patient; this was also the first surgery of this type to be performed in Poland. International Cochlear Implant Day is an excellent opportunity for wider promotion of the benefits offered by novel technologies in the treatment of various hearing disorders.<\/h3>\n

World\u2019s first cochlear device implantation was performed in Paris by a French otosurgeon Charles Eyries in collaboration with medical physicist Andre Djourno on February 25th<\/sup>, 1957. The implant allowed only for general perception of sounds in patient\u2019s environment rather than for speech recognition and was therefore removed due to patient’s disappointment. Despite the limited technical capabilities of the device, the researchers were able to see in their experiment a great potential for the future. The accomplishment of the French researchers inspired Prof. William House to take up his own research at his university in Los Angeles. In 1961, his group managed to implant electrodes facilitating stimulation of acoustic nerve to two patients. John Doyle, previously collaborating with Prof. House, was the first physician to place an electrode within the cochlea in 1964. In 1972, Prof. House started the world\u2019s first program for the treatment of hearing loss using serially produced cochlear implants. A similar program was started in Europe by Claude-Henri Chouard in Paris (in 1973), and by Kurt Burian in Vienna (in 1975).<\/p>\n

Poland joined this elite group in 1992 thanks to the efforts of Prof. Henryk Skar\u017cy\u0144ski, who performed Poland\u2019s first surgery to implant a cochlear device in a deaf patient and thus not only sparked new hope in thousands of hearing-impaired patients, but also started the program for the treatment of complete hearing loss in our country. The procedure constituted a breakthrough for Polish otosurgery. Failure of the procedure would mean the program being postponed for years while its success would provide a unique stimulus for the development of otosurgery, audiology, rehabilitation, and early diagnostics of hearing disorders in neonates. This complex, multidisciplinary program was then joined by other physicians, psychologists, speech therapists, educators, engineers and audioprosthetic technicians. Preparations for the first implantation of a cochlear device had lasted for two years.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the success of these first surgeries, the program for implantation of cochlear devices was started and subsequently followed by the entire grand program of modern otosurgery and audiology. Prof. Henryk Skar\u017cy\u0144ski contributed to the establishment of world\u2019s renowned medical centers such as the Institute for the Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and the World Hearing Center. More than 400 thousand procedures were performed at the Institute over the last 20 years; in addition, last 25 years witnessed the establishment of nearly 200 new clinical programs, including programs involving virtually all innovative otosurgical implant solutions. State-of-the-art technologies are made available at the Institute to Polish patients as the first or nearly first recipients of these technologies in the world. The most recent example is provided by Poland\u2019s premiere implantation of HiRes Ultra 3D Cochlear Implant with MRI Hassle Free technology. The implant is dedicated particularly to elderly patients and facilitates magnetic resonance scans being acquired in patients using magnetic fields of up to 3T. The surgery was performed by Prof. Henryk Skar\u017cy\u0144ski in December 2018.<\/p>\n

Each novel otosurgical solution is of great importance considering the increasing percentage of individuals with partial hearing loss in our aging societies. This means that the number of implant recipients will also be rising. As of today, the Institute for the Physiology and Pathology of Hearing provides care to more than 8,000 patients with various types of hearing loss treated with cochlear implants; among these is the world\u2019s largest group of patients who had had their surgery performed in a single site.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Today, one may safely say that modern surgical methods and technologies make it possible to help nearly every patient presenting with hearing impairment regardless of its origin and be it due to outer, middle, or inner ear disorders \u2013 says Prof. Henryk Skar\u017cy\u0144ski \u2013 According to data collected by the specialists at our Institute over the 26 years of its clinical and research activities, there are more than 1 billion individuals worldwide who suffer from various types of hearing disorders affecting their everyday life, particularly their ability to communicate with others. This is a great civilizational challenge which generates great social and economic costs \u2013 adds Prof. Skar\u017cy\u0144ski.<\/p>\n

According to the WHO (data of 2016), global costs due to hearing loss are indeed enormous as they amount to:<\/p>\n