Assessing Chronic Ear Symptoms in Bone-Conduction Hearing Implant (BCHI) Patients Using the Chronic Otitis Media Benefit Inventory (COMBI) Score

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to determine improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) questionnaire in patients undergoing bone-conduction hearing implant (BCHI) insertion. Study Design A mixed retrospective and prospective correlational study. Setting Single tertiary referral center in the United Kingdom. Patients All adult patients undergoing their first BCHI over 6 years (April 1, 2017, to March 3, 2023). Main Outcome Measures The Chronic Otitis Media Benefit Inventory (COMBI) score (postintervention) and the Glasgow Health Status Inventory (GHSI) (pre-and post-BCHI questionnaire). Results Improvements were seen across all COMBI domains. The mean total COMBI score was 46.3 (standard deviation = 5.3). Although expected significant improvements were seen in hearing and social domains, there were also notable gains in ear symptoms and reduced medical intervention post-BCHI. There was a statistically significant improvement in all GHSI scores post-BCHI (median total difference 67.1, p < 0.0001). Conclusions This study reports very favorable outcomes for BCHI patients using two different PROMs: COMBI and GHSI. Although these PROMs complement each other, they also offer different perspectives on the same cohort of patients, with COMBI providing a unique insight into specific ear symptoms. This is the first reported study using this complement of PROMS in BCHI patients and offers further evidence for the wide-reaching improvements BCHI can have for patients.