Author: J Reefhuis, M Honein, and others
Source: The New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 349, number 5, pages 435-445, July 31, 2003
In June 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration received reports of bacterial meningitis (a serious infection of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) in children who received cochlear implants for treatment of hearing loss.
The purpose of this study was to find out how many children who had cochlear implants got bacterial meningitis afterwards and to see whether or not there were any factors that made someone more likely to get this type of infection.
Over 4,000 American children who had received a cochlear implant during a 5-year period were included. They were followed to see if they later developed bacterial meningitis and this number was compared to the number of children of this age in the general population who got bacterial meningitis. More information about the children who did develop meningitis after cochlear implantation was collected to determine if there were any factors that might make someone more likely to develop this disease.
The authors found that bacterial meningitis occurred 30 times more often in children with cochlear implants than in children of the same age in the general population. The majority of these infections were caused by Strep Pneumoniaea, a type of bacteria. Children who had inner ear malformations, received the type of cochlear implant that used a positioner, or had cerebrospinal fluid leaks after receiving a cochlear implant were at increased risk for bacterial meningitis.
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