Cochlear Implant Indications

As your partner in hearing for life, Cochlear believes it is important that you understand not only the benefits, but also the potential risks associated with any cochlear implant.

You should talk to your hearing healthcare provider about who is a candidate for cochlear implantation. Before any cochlear implant surgery, it is important to talk to your doctor about CDC guidelines for pre-surgical vaccinations. Cochlear implants are contraindicated for patients with lesions of the auditory nerve, active ear infections or active disease of the middle ear.

Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, and carries with it the risks typical for surgery. You will lose residual hearing in the implanted ear. Electric stimulation may result in some side effects, including ringing in the ear, stimulation of the facial nerve; in rare cases this may cause pain. Though rare, it is possible that additional surgery may be required at some point to resolve complications with a cochlear implant.

For complete information about risks and benefits of cochlear implantation, please refer to the Nucleus Package Insert. [PDF]