Doctors said BAHA, which stands for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid, taps bone conduction physiology to the fullest and bypasses the external and middle ear to conduct sound directly into the inner ear.
Rajesh Wadaskar (45), a farmer from Latur, has a reason to smile even during this time of drought. His 13-year-old son was one of the two children who became the first two recipients of the latest BAHA technology in Mumbai.
On Monday, Ganesh (13) and Shehzan Sayeed (8), both born with congenital microtia (a condition where the external ear is underdeveloped), were operated on by ENT doctors at KEM hospital in Parel. The two have already returned home.
Doctors said BAHA, which stands for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid, taps bone conduction physiology to the fullest and bypasses the external and middle ear to conduct sound directly into the inner ear.
ENT surgeon Dr Hetal Marfatia said the previous generation of BAHA implants was percutaneous, ie there was a titanium abutment jutting out through the skin to which a hearing processor was loaded. "With humid weather and lack of hygiene, chances of infection around the implant area used to be high," she said.
Marfatia added that according to medical literature out there, one in 10,000 children is born with no ear or poorly formed ear and ear canal.
The technology, which was introduced in India in late 2014, didn't have much takers due to being expensive. The procedure for the two children, who will now be able to hear and have normal lives, was sponsored by philanthropists. Each set-up costs Rs5 lakh.
"Most of these children are from poor socio-economic backgrounds and have multiple health problems; for example, Ganesh has a heart problem, a web neck and a deformed spine. Parents pay more attention to the other health problems. With the help of donors, we help these children lead normal lives as this procedure can bring back the ability to hear fully," said Marfatia.
She added that unlike the earlier version BAHA Connect, in the latest one BAHA Attract, the reduction of soft tissues of the skull is not required and is under the skin. "The chances of infection, therefore, less," said Marfatia.
The surgery took half an hour, after which director of major civic hospitals Dr Avinash Supe and head of the ENT department at KEM hospital Dr Jyoti Dabholkar connected the external device to the internal device, which is inserted in the patient through surgery.
"We are thankful to the donors who have made it possible for these children to live normally," said Supe.
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