When you wake up in the morning what is the first sound you hear? Is it an alarm clock, someone saying good morning, the fan humming or the birds singing outside? Now imagine if that noise was gone along with every other noise you hear as well. People take for granted the abilities they have, sadly there is a group of people who do not have this ability. Most people are unaware of the amount of people who are deaf in the United States. “In the United States, approximately 1,000,000 people (0.38% of the population, or 3.8 per 1,000) over 5 years of age are "functionally deaf" (Mitchell). Fortunately, for some, there is help. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that does the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to
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The University of California San Francisco has been involved in developing and designing cochlear implant systems for over 30 years (Megerian). The procedure is quite expensive and universities receive the money from grants that other hospitals do not receive. The operation generally takes about an hour and a half to three hours and is done by a surgeon. The patient is under general anesthesia. First the Surgeon shaves or cleans the scalp around the site of the implant then, an incision is made behind the ear to open the mastoid bone leading to the middle ear space. Once the middle ear space is exposed, an opening is made in the cochlea and the implant electrodes are inserted. The electronic device at the base of the electrode array is then placed under the skin behind the ear (Levenson). The electrode array can slide into the cochlea without causing damage because it is especially designed to be thin, tapered and flexible. The receiver/stimulator sits in the bone just behind the ear and consists of a speech processor, microphone, and battery compartment. The Surgical implantations are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of
The University of California San Francisco has been involved in developing and designing cochlear implant systems for over 30 years (Megerian). The procedure is quite expensive and universities receive the money from grants that other hospitals do not receive. The operation generally takes about an hour and a half to three hours and is done by a surgeon. The patient is under general anesthesia. First the Surgeon shaves or cleans the scalp around the site of the implant then, an incision is made behind the ear to open the mastoid bone leading to the middle ear space. Once the middle ear space is exposed, an opening is made in the cochlea and the implant electrodes are inserted. The electronic device at the base of the electrode array is then placed under the skin behind the ear (Levenson). The electrode array can slide into the cochlea without causing damage because it is especially designed to be thin, tapered and flexible. The receiver/stimulator sits in the bone just behind the ear and consists of a speech processor, microphone, and battery compartment. The Surgical implantations are almost always safe, although complications are a risk factor, just as with any kind of