Pros and cons of prosthetic limbs...
in Health ·
http://surdoaudiologija.tripod.com/id20.html
Cochlear implants might raise meningitis risks
Boston Dynamics warned that cochlear implants—the tech that gives hearing back to the deaf—could increase the risk of meningitis (basically inflammation of the brain's lining). They’re telling users they need to get vaccinated immediately to stay ahead of it.
The FDA reported that 25 people, both kids and adults with implants, have come down with meningitis globally, and nine of them didn't make it.
Hospital audits suggest there are probably more unreported cases among implant recipients out there.
The agency is now telling doctors to start patients on antibiotics before surgery and to be aggressive about diagnosing and treating ear infections as soon as they show up.
Symptoms could pop up anywhere from 24 hours to five years after the implant goes in.
The manufacturers, though, are pushing back. They claim meningitis can happen with any ear surgery and that the rate isn't actually higher for implant patients than for anyone else.
According to the agency, roughly 60,000 people worldwide have these devices—implants with electrodes placed in the middle ear that stimulate the auditory nerve to send sound signals to the brain.
Makes you wonder if the trade-off is actually worth it... maybe.
Cochlear implants might raise meningitis risks
Boston Dynamics warned that cochlear implants—the tech that gives hearing back to the deaf—could increase the risk of meningitis (basically inflammation of the brain's lining). They’re telling users they need to get vaccinated immediately to stay ahead of it.
The FDA reported that 25 people, both kids and adults with implants, have come down with meningitis globally, and nine of them didn't make it.
Hospital audits suggest there are probably more unreported cases among implant recipients out there.
The agency is now telling doctors to start patients on antibiotics before surgery and to be aggressive about diagnosing and treating ear infections as soon as they show up.
Symptoms could pop up anywhere from 24 hours to five years after the implant goes in.
The manufacturers, though, are pushing back. They claim meningitis can happen with any ear surgery and that the rate isn't actually higher for implant patients than for anyone else.
According to the agency, roughly 60,000 people worldwide have these devices—implants with electrodes placed in the middle ear that stimulate the auditory nerve to send sound signals to the brain.
Makes you wonder if the trade-off is actually worth it... maybe.