The Impact of Daily Processor Use on Adult Cochlear Implant Outcomes: Reexamining the Roles of Duration of Deafness and Age at Implantation

Abstract

Objective To quantify the roles and relationships between age at implantation, duration of deafness (DoD), and daily processor use via data logging on speech recognition outcomes for postlingually deafened adults with cochlear implants. Study Design Retrospective case review. Setting Cochlear implant (CI) program at a tertiary medical center. Patients Six-hundred fourteen postlingually deafened adult ears with CIs (mean age, 63 yr; 44% female) were included. Main Outcome Measure(s) A stepwise multiple regression analysis was completed to investigate the combined effects of age, DoD, and daily processor use on CI-aided speech recognition (Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant monosyllables and AzBio sentences). Results Results indicated that only daily processor use was significantly related to Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant word scores (R 2 = 0.194, p < 0.001) and AzBio in quiet scores (R 2 = 0.198, p < 0.001), whereas neither age nor DoD was significantly related. In addition, there was no significant relationship between daily processor use, age at implantation, or DoD and AzBio sentences in noise (R 2 = 0.026, p = 0.005). Conclusions Considering the clinical factors of age at implantation, DoD, and daily processor use, only daily processor use significantly predicted the ~20% of variance in postoperative outcomes (CI-aided speech recognition) accounted for by these clinical factors.

Cochlear-implant listeners benefit from training with time-compressed speech, even at advanced ages

“…Therefore, the findings support the benefit of auditory training in adult CI listeners, which is consistent with several other reports ( Fu and Galvin, 2008 ; Dornhoffer et al , 2024 ). Other forms of training, such as through daily practice and CI use, also seem to improve outcomes with CIs across the lifespan ( DeFreese et al , 2023 ). It is unclear if adaptive training that targets temporal-processing abilities differs from other more traditional training approaches, including speech recognition in noise ( Fu and Galvin, 2008 ).…”

Improved Postoperative Speech Recognition and Processor Use With Early Cochlear Implant Activation

“…1). A direct relationship between average daily CI usage and speech outcomes has been well established (8–10). This study further highlights that early processor use influences long-term speech recognition outcomes.…”

“…Cochlear implants (CIs) have become the standard treatment option for patients with moderate-to-profound hearing loss who derive limited benefit from their hearing aids. Several factors can influence outcomes after CI surgery: age at implantation, duration of deafness, preoperative hearing, cognitive status, and device utilization (1–10). With innovative healthcare delivery models such as same-day CI consultation and surgery, where sound processor activation is performed within a few days after implantation, understanding how the timing of activation impacts postoperative outcomes is imperative (11,12).…”