Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cochlear Implant Usage in Children.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cochlear implant (CI) usage in children by comparing hearing hour percentage (HHP) during the pandemic to prepandemic levels.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective Cohort Study.

SETTING

Primary Children's Hospital, Utah.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was conducted for children aged 9 months to 18.9 years old who underwent CI between January 2018 and September 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised first-time CI recipients with at least 1 year of follow-up data. HHP was calculated by dividing total wear time by the expected daily awake time based on the patient's age. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to control for confounding variables of HHP, with demographic, clinical, and procedural variables entered as independent variables.

RESULTS

A total of 156 patients were included. A significant decline in HHP was observed during the pandemic, from 55.0% (SE = 4.3, n = 30) in 2019 to 26.2% (SE = 5.5, n = 22) in 2020. Regression analyses also revealed a significant decrease in HHP during both the early pandemic period (2020-2021) (P = .0014) and late in the pandemic period (2022-2023) (P = .011) compared to pre-pandemic levels. After controlling for confounders, the late pandemic period remained significantly associated with a reduction in HHP (β = -15.6, P = .018), but the decline in HHP during the early phase of the pandemic was no longer significant.

CONCLUSION

Pandemic-related disruptions led to a decline in pediatric CI use, underscoring the need for targeted support during public health crises.