New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) Doctors at a private hospital here have restored hearing loss of a 52-year-old blind patient with schizophrenia using cochlear implants, a procedure they say could also help improve
his mental well-being by reconnecting him with his surroundings.
According to a statement issued by Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dwarka, the patient had lost his vision seven years ago due to an untreated cataract and recently developed severe to profound hearing loss in both ears following a viral infection, leaving him almost completely cut off from his surroundings.
Given his condition, key diagnostic tests, including MRI and Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA), a test used to measure the hearing nerve's response to sound, were conducted under sedation to assess the extent of hearing loss and determine his suitability for cochlear implantation.
A multidisciplinary team comprising specialists from ENT, anaesthesia, audiology and psychiatry carried out cochlear implant surgery in both ears, taking precautions to avoid medications that could aggravate his psychiatric condition.
The implant's sound processor was activated on the third day after surgery under an early switch-on protocol, meaning the device was turned on much earlier than the usual three to four weeks, enabling the patient to begin responding to sounds sooner, the statement said.
"After cochlear implant surgery, patients tend to reconnect with their surroundings, which can help improve their mental condition. Hearing loss in adults often leads to phases of depression," said Dr Sumit Mrig, Director and Unit Head, ENT and Cochlear Implant Surgery at the hospital.
He further told PTI that in the last 17 years of his cochlear implant practice, he has seen patients with depression and even drug addiction undergoing such procedures, but has never seen someone with schizophrenia getting a cochlear implant done, explaining the rarity of the case.
The patient has started responding to sounds and will undergo structured therapy and device programming to gradually adapt to auditory inputs, the statement added. PTI SGV APL
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