The Scientific World Journal (Jan 2014)

Cochlear Implant Programming: A Global Survey on the State of the Art

  • Bart Vaerenberg,
  • Cas Smits,
  • Geert De Ceulaer,
  • Elie Zir,
  • Sally Harman,
  • N. Jaspers,
  • Y. Tam,
  • Margaret Dillon,
  • Thomas Wesarg,
  • D. Martin-Bonniot,
  • L. Gärtner,
  • Sebastian Cozma,
  • Julie Kosaner,
  • Sandra Prentiss,
  • P. Sasidharan,
  • Jeroen J. Briaire,
  • Jane Bradley,
  • J. Debruyne,
  • R. Hollow,
  • Rajesh Patadia,
  • Lucas Mens,
  • K. Veekmans,
  • R. Greisiger,
  • E. Harboun-Cohen,
  • Stéphanie Borel,
  • Dayse Tavora-Vieira,
  • Patrizia Mancini,
  • Helen Cullington,
  • Amy Han-Chi Ng,
  • Adam Walkowiak,
  • William H. Shapiro,
  • Paul J. Govaerts

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/501738
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2014

Abstract

Read online

The programming of CIs is essential for good performance. However, no Good Clinical Practice guidelines exist. This paper reports on the results of an inventory of the current practice worldwide. A questionnaire was distributed to 47 CI centers. They follow 47600 recipients in 17 countries and 5 continents. The results were discussed during a debate. Sixty-two percent of the results were verified through individual interviews during the following months. Most centers (72%) participated in a cross-sectional study logging 5 consecutive fitting sessions in 5 different recipients. Data indicate that general practice starts with a single switch-on session, followed by three monthly sessions, three quarterly sessions, and then annual sessions, all containing one hour of programming and testing. The main focus lies on setting maximum and, to a lesser extent, minimum current levels per electrode. These levels are often determined on a few electrodes and then extrapolated. They are mainly based on subjective loudness perception by the CI user and, to a lesser extent, on pure tone and speech audiometry. Objective measures play a small role as indication of the global MAP profile. Other MAP parameters are rarely modified. Measurable targets are only defined for pure tone audiometry. Huge variation exists between centers on all aspects of the fitting practice.