Introduction: It is estimated that hearing impediment affects approximately 12% of the population. Some forms of hearing
disorders can be successfully treated conservatively, while in others surgery plays a key role. Often, therapeutic methods are
exhausted and the patient faces the decision about the need for acoustic organ prosthesis. Depending on the causes of anomalies,
apparatus for air conduction, bone conduction or cochlear implants are used. A cochlear implant replaces the damaged
sensory cells of the inner ear. It constitutes an electronic prosthesis of the acoustic organ, composed of two parts. The internal
part (implanted in the inner ear) consists of an implant and electrodes, which conduct electrical signals to the cochlea. The
external part consists of a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitter.
Care report: A 70-year-old patient with deep hearing loss in the right ear and deafness of the left ear. During the interview, the
patient denied mechanical injuries of the head and neck, acoustic trauma, inflammation or otorrhea. Based on the conducted
tests, qualification otolaryngology, audiology, and otoneurology, radiology, surdologopedy and psychology were performed
for cochlear implant insertion. The patient was qualified for cochlear implantation in the left ear under general anesthesia.
The surgical team was composed of dr hab. Maciej Wiatr, prof. dr hab. Kazimierz Niemczyk, prof. dr hab. Jacek Składzień, MD
Agnieszka Wiatr with anesthetic monitoring under the supervision of MD Renata Witkowska. The patient was discharged
home on day 7 after surgery in good general and local condition. Simultaneous rehabilitation was started at the Center for Daily
Rehabilitation of Hearing and Speech at the Specialist Center of Diagnosis and Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents
with Hearing Disabilities of the Polish Association of the Deaf in Cracow.