Environmental Sound Awareness in Experienced Cochlear Implant Users and Cochlear Implant Candidates

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine if postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant (CI) users have better environmental sound awareness (ESA) compared with adult patients eligible for CIs who have not yet undergone implantation. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A group of 39 postlingually deaf adult patients who are experienced CI users (ECI), and a group of 20 postlingually deaf adult patients who are cochlear implant candidates (CIC) awaiting implantation. INTERVENTION: Cochlear implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Environmental sound awareness as measured by accuracy (percent correct) using the computerized, Familiar Environmental Sounds Test-Identification (FEST-I). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between ESA in our sample of ECI users versus CIC patients. The ECI users scored an average FEST-I accuracy of 59.9% (SD 14.3). In comparison, the CICs had an average FEST-I accuracy of 54.7% (SD 26.4). This difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that, despite the commonly held notion that improved ESA may be a benefit of cochlear implantation, our sample of ECI users did not demonstrate superior performance compared with CICs.