What is the transplant that deaf people get?

Question

There's a transplant that deaf people get to be able to hear things, but I can't remember what it's called. Anyone know by chance?

Answer 1

It is not a transplant, it is an implant. A transplant would be from a living (or very recently living) person. An implant is a mechanical device.

It is called a Cochlear Implant (CI). It is not for every person that is deaf. It depends on the degree of their hearing loss mostly. That means someone with a very very severe hearing loss -- over 100 decibels -- equivalent to not hearing a plane. The FDA has approved these things for even *very* young children. The surgery involves an incision behind the ear, drilling into the skull, further incisions, and implanting the elctrodes into the cochlea (the snail looking part of your ear). It is also attached to the auditory nerve. They also leave a magnet in place (under the skin) that transmits the signal between the device on the inside and the magnet on the outside that is hooked up by wires to the processor on the outside. The magnet also makes it possible for the thing to stay attached to the head. (Though they do fall off occasionally!) The processor can look like a box the size of a beeper or look like a bulky hearing aid depending on the type chosen and what works best for that person. Once they have healed (about a month) the processor is hooked up and they begin mapping the sound to adjust the device to the person. Mapping is something that done repeatedly.

Negatives: Dangerous surgery (operating near the brain, facial nerves, etc.); possibility of serious infection -- FDA was investigating severe people that came down with meningitis after receiving CIs; big scar; may offer no improvement; may offer some improvement -- but the expected amount; it still doesn't provide sound that is the same as what a person with "normal" hearing has; often misunderstood by children to be a temporary thing, a lot of time (years) must be spent to learn to hear with it (auditory training; exspensive -- about $50,000; when it is turned off (or off due to rain, swimming, sleeping, etc.) the person is still deaf; many children reject their CIs when they get older prefering not to use them; due to having a magnet in the head, can't have MRIs done; impact sports are not recommended; no scuba diving; will set off security devices at airports, so must carry special ID indicating they have the implant.

Positives: For some it provides enough to allow spoken language development; for some it allows them to hear of the phone; for some it allows them to hear loud noises <--- what is considered worth it and beneficial depends on the person with the implant.

Those are the generic pros and cons. I personally would never put one in a child (see the negatives below). I am also a fluent signer with many friends that sign as well, so I would be able to expose them to language and culture without having to resort to such drastic and dangerous measures. I have known several people that have had these, and most of those that had them didn't like them -- and/or it didn't work for them. I have known children that received the implant and did not get an interpreter when meeting with the doctor (she was fluent in sign and older) so she misunderstood what was going on. I cried the day she got her implant! (They didn't provide an interpreter while she was in the hospital for the surgery either!) I was against it before that time, and now I am REALLY against it for children. Adults can make up their own mind.

Oh and the previous poster was right, the Deaf community tends to be VERY against CIs!!

Answer 2

It is not a transplant, it is an implant. It's called the Cochlear implant, and it does not get Deaf people to hear things, it just imitates sound, with some successes and some failures.

Getting the Cochlear implant involves killing any limited hearing the person already has and replacing it with electrical sensors connected to the cochlea. I forget what the number of electrodes are but it is far less than the number that we have naturally. There is a microphone that picks up sounds and transmits them to the implant which produces an imitation of the sound which is then transmitted to the brain.

Hearing people tend to think that with a Cochlear Implant, Deaf people can hear perfectly, or near perfectly, and this is not the case. I've worked with Deaf children of all ages, some of whom have the CI, and all of them rely on sign language as their primary form of communication. I've only seen one kid who might have enough hearing to be able to function without sign language (although he signs anyway).

Sorry, for my little rant. Now its time for my disclaimer: I am biased and all of these statements are generalizations.

Answer 3

its called a cochlear implant but i dont suggest it. im learning sign language and have learned a lot about the deaf community because of it and the deaf generally dont like them for numerous reasons.

Answer 4

Deaf people can get any transplant, providing it's necessary.

Answer 5

cochlear implant and it's not a transplant. i have one and it didnt work.