Cuba has performed 360 cochlear implant surgeries, the majority on children, all with positive results. Of these, a total of 30 patients are deafblind, Dr. Antonio Paz Cordovéz explained, a pioneer in this type of surgery on the island.
Dr. Paz Cordobés, head of otolaryngology at Havana's Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, spoke exclusively to ACN, recalling that this procedure began to be practiced on the island in December 1997, although one implant had been undertaken in 1987.
While in 1998 the decision was taken to operate on the first 21 patients at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the Cuban Cochlear Implant Program didn’t begin until 2005, on the initiative of the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, with the aim of improving quality of life of patients and supporting their individual and social development.
Dr. Paz Cordovéz noted that given the remarkable achievements in the field and worldwide recognition of the island’s efforts, the Ibero-American Cochlear Implants Group was created in Cuba.
Paz Cordovéz, also President of the Cuban Otolaryngology Society, clarified that the procedure is designed to replace the function of the inner ear, that is, to convert acoustic signals into electrical pulses that directly stimulate the auditory nerve.
This neuroprosthetic device enables children with profound hearing loss to develop oral language and post-lingual deaf adults to regain their hearing, he explained.
The expert noted that the devices used in the procedure are supplied by two leading firms in this field, and informed that simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation surgery in patients who meet the requirements has begun to be performed.
He also noted that this surgical technique is now available to international patients.
Cuba, which enjoys great prestige and is one of the countries with the highest number of implantations on deafblind patients, will present its advances in this field at the 35th Pan-American Congress on Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, taking place from June 13-16 in Havana. (ACN)
