Cochlear Implant Program at the British Hospital

The British Hospital was a pioneer in carrying out the first cochlear implant in the country, in an adult, in 1994, and in a child, in 1999, and also in detecting neonatal hearing loss or deafness, for many years before it was required by law to do so.

"The British Hospital was the first hospital in Uruguay in which universal screening was implemented, for each child born, which is extremely important for the detection" of hearing loss, recalled Dr. Alejo Suárez, a reference of the matter of the Cochlear Implant Program and member of the Hospital Otorhinolaryngology Department.

Dr. Suárez estimated that so far, the Program has carried out 500 cochlear implants in the country, so the team has a lot of experience in the field, which ensures results that he described as excellent.

"This is a surgery that the British Hospital allows us to do with the greatest safety for the patient and with the best available technology, in order to optimize the results", esteemed the specialist.

He recalled the importance of children acquiring hearing in order to "be able to understand and develop language" and that adults "can recuperate the ability to understand words and language and deal with the sound world."

Regarding timely consultation, in case of adults, Suárez recommended going to the otorhinolaryngologist when suffering from a hasty loss of hearing, or when facing disorders in the acquisition and development of language, in the case of children.