Evaluation of the Listening Environment of Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users through Data Logging: A Comparison of Bilateral Simultaneous and Sequential Implantation

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the listening conditions of bilateral cochlear implant (CI) users in their daily living environment. Study Design Retrospective study. Setting University hospital. Patients Thirty-one adult CI users 16 years or older; 18 underwent sequential surgery, and 13 underwent simultaneous surgery. Inclusion criteria included the availability of CI data logging features and a minimum duration of binaural use of 6 months. Intervention Retrospective analysis of data obtained from the automatic scene classifier data logging system. Main Outcome Measure Comparison of data logging and maximum speech discrimination scores of the two surgery groups (sequential vs. simultaneous) to investigate the potential influence of these factors on the listening conditions of CI users. Results The maximum speech discrimination score of the second CI in the sequential group was significantly worse than that of any other CI in the sequential and simultaneous CI groups. Additionally, the longer the interval between surgeries, the more significant the difference in “time on air” between the first and the second CIs. The second CI in sequential CI surgery had a shorter “time on air” than the first or the bilateral simultaneous CIs; the second CI was also used more frequently in noisy and speech with background noise environments. Conclusions A second CI may be more frequently used in challenging listening environments because of its binaural auditory effect, despite its lower speech discrimination performance. The timing of sequential implantation and the potential impact of binaural hearing should be considered when developing rehabilitation strategies for individuals with bilateral CIs.