ADULTS WITH CI: WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH TWO CI THAT YOU CAN’T DO WITH ONE?
TUESDAY 15th APRIL 2025
Do read the whole fascinating summary here.
At the end of our first Conversation on Bilateral CI for Adults, led by Wendy Huinck, Kathryn Chlosta and Robert Mandara, the question was asked by Manohar Bance, CI surgeon, Cambridge, UK, What can you do with 2 CI that you couldn’t do with one? In work to look at funding for bilateral CI for adults it seems important to gather a range of evidence about the benefits -and this is a good question!
This Conversation was led by Manohar Bance, CI Surgeon, Cambridge UK, Wendy Huinck, Associate Prof ENT, Nijmegen, Netherlands, Robert Mandara, bilateral CI User, Finland, Anne Marie Langlois, Bilateral user, Canadian Hard of Hearing Association.
17 Attendees from 6 countries: 8 users of CI, and a range of professionals, including surgeons, audiologists, therapists, and from industry. Live captioning was provided. Participants were from Belgium, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, UK and USA.
Manohar set the scene reminding everyone of the question What Can you do with 2 implants that you couldn’t do with one? Which was the title of the Conversation. He began by suggesting that participants consider the following questions while listening to Wendy:
Why did you want a second implant? For those who have had it sequentially what did you think you were missing that you thought the second implant would give you?
Then when you got it, what did it give you that you didn’t have with the first implant? So what incremental value did it bring to your life?
And the third part is if you have bilateral implants, if you take one off for whatever reason if it breaks, you have to go with one, what do you miss? What is it you can’t do any more when you only have one implant you can do when you have both of them on?
Wendy Huinck from Njimegen CI team then shared the survey they developed to have a better idea of how many people do want a second implant, which isn’t funded in the Netherlands. They had almost 800 respondents and it was posted on the Dutch patient organisation websites.
This Conversation was lively and on the whole this group seemed surprised how much difference the second implant had made. Common issues were: • Improved speech perception, especially in noise, • The ability to localise sound • Redundancy, not being totally reliant on one CI, in case of failure or technical issues • Reduction in listening effort, leading to improved confidence, less dependency on others, and the ability to multi-task • Ability to travel independently • Phone calls – again leading to greater independence • Improved enjoyment of music • Reduction in need for captioning • Reduction in tinnitus reported by one.
Before getting bilateral I was still absolutely terrified of using a telephone. I would do anything to avoid using a telephone and would get my wife to make all the calls and now I don’t care. I can just stream calls, it’s easy. It’s such a relief.
Do read the whole fascinating summary here.
