Longitudinal Changes in Cochlear Implant Datalogging and Quality of Life Measures.

OBJECTIVE

To examine changes in datalogging statistics in adult cochlear implant (CI) users during their first post-CI year and evaluate their association with cochlear implant quality of life-35 (CIQOL-35) scores.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective longitudinal cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary medical center.

PATIENTS: 104 adult CI users with bilateral hearing loss.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hours of device use per day (h/d), percentage of use in various listening environments (quiet, noise, speech, music), and pre-/post-CI CIQOL-35 Profile scores were recorded at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-months postactivation. Data were assessed using linear mixed-effects models.

RESULTS

Daily hours of CI use increased significantly from 1-month ( 11.2±3.3 h/d) to 3-months ( 11.8±3.2 h/d) postactivation, then plateaued from 3-months to 12-months ( 11.8±3.6 h/d) postactivation. Between 1 and 12 months, the percentage of time spent in Quiet increased (42% vs. 46%, P<0.001), while time spent in speech (31% vs. 28%, P=0.007) and Noise (20% vs. 18%, P=0.025) declined. Device use (h/d) was positively associated with CIQOL-35 scores (P<0.01). Increased percentage of time in noise was associated with poorer communication, emotional, environment, and social CIQOL-35 scores (P<0.01). Increased Music percentage was associated with higher Entertainment scores (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients increasingly use their CI during the first 3 months postactivation and spend less time listening to speech and noise over the first 12 months. Associations between listening environments and certain CIQOL domains demonstrate that listening patterns and functional abilities might influence each other. Determining causality in future studies may enable more individualized counseling on device use for an improved early CI experience.