Friday 20 / December / 2024
Muscat: Aster Royal Hospital’s ENT team has been performing micro-ear surgeries for over 10 years, and to strengthen its role in this direction, the team performed a complex Cochlear Implant surgery on a young boy, marking the next step in its efforts towards restoring hearing for the citizens and expatriates of the Sultanate of Oman in line with the National Ear Care Program. Aster Royal Hospital Marks a New Milestone with this Cochlear Implant Surgery.
Hearing impairment is a leading cause of the disease burden in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that currently, over 1.5 billion people (nearly 20% of the global population) live with different levels of hearing loss, with 430 million of them having disabling hearing impairment. Disabling or profound hearing loss refers to a situation where someone has great difficulty hearing and communicating. Childhood hearing impairment can result in an inability to hear sounds and hence poor language and speech, severely affecting their education and quality of life. Hearing loss is the fourth highest cause of disability globally, affecting productivity and the country's economy.
The first cochlear implantation procedure at Aster Royal Hospital was performed by a team of highly qualified medical professionals, including Senior Consultants Dr. Subirendra Kumar and Dr. Vidya Bhargavan, who were supported by a team of audiologists, anesthetists, nursing staff, and an excellent administrative setup. The high quality of state-of-the-art equipment available for ear surgeries at Aster Royal Hospital made this feat possible. The main surgeon has more than 30 years of experience in ear surgeries and has been involved in cochlear implant surgeries for over 15 years.
A Cochlear Implant is a highly complex electronic device that helps to stimulate the nerves of hearing directly in a patient who has severe to profound hearing loss. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically implanted in the inner ear to provide stimulus directly to the nerves of hearing. Cochlear implantation is indicated in selected patients who cannot benefit from hearing aids.
Cochlear implantation surgery is only the first part of the management, which has to be followed by intensive speech training with the support of audiologists and speech therapists. Aster Royal Hospital has a robust team of well-experienced audiologists and speech therapists with all the latest skills and techniques in audiological evaluation, intra-operative and post-operative expertise required in collaboration with the Super Quality Hearing Aid and Speech Therapy Centre. They have speech therapy support not only at Aster Royal Hospital but also in most of the regions which can provide strong support to the Aster Cochlear Implantation program for follow-up speech rehabilitation close to the home of the family, thus making it convenient for the family and the best outcome of surgery. The availability of speech therapists in multiple languages provides further strength to the program.
Aster Royal Hospital is one of the leading multi-speciality private hospitals providing world-class treatment and healthcare services in Oman. The newly established flagship hospital boasts a 200-bed facility with highly qualified medical professionals and modern equipment. In accordance with our motto “We’ll Treat You Well,” we aim to provide the best healthcare under one roof without the need to travel abroad, even for complex procedures.
For more information, please visit the Aster Royal Hospital website www.aster.om
