Civic hospital in Mumbai introduces new-age hearing aid implants for children

Until some time ago, eight-month-old Cheri Sancheti had never clearly heard her mother’s voice. The world was a succession of muffled sounds and for Cheri, it was the only world she was accustomed to. Today, thanks to a hearing aid band, Cheri can hear sounds clearly and responds instantly to her parents calling out to her. Cheri was born without a pinna (outer ear).

“It’s like she’s entered a whole new world. She suddenly becomes quiet and listens to her surroundings intently, trying to identify sounds,” said her father, Sachin, who runs a milk-distribution business at Jalgaon.

The device that’s changed Cheri’s life is called Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA), a hearing aid surgically fitted over the scalp bone with a switch processor attached externally. Her parents recently visited the ENT department of BYL Nair hospital to buy the BAHA, which costs nearly one lakh rupees.

Recently, five children with congenital deformity of the ear, of which two had bilateral absence of pinna gathered in the hospital to test the hearing aid. The parents of two patients, including Cheri’s, have bought the BAHA and are awaiting surgery. Sunil Zode, district president of Women and Child Development, Lion’s Club International, has promised to sponsor the surgery for some of the other children.

Dr Hetal Marfatia, professor of ENT who heads the unit said, “This will be the first time a BMC hospital is implanting BAHA on children. Cheri is too young to be operated on, since the scalp bone is still too thin. She will be operated on in a few years’ time. For now, she will be using the soft BAHA band.”

BAHA is fitted on the scalp bone with a titanium screw and sends sound through the bone directly to the functioning inner ear. If the child is too young, like Cheri, a soft band is provided as an early intervention alternative. BAHA helps children develop speech and language at the same rate as their peers.After surgery, the child can hear 10% more clearly.

The parents of the other children, all from a lower middle-class background, have made a decision to buy the implant and are seeking donations for the same, Dr Marfatia said. “This is the only kind of implant which allows a trial,” he added.