That's what happened to my friend who contracted meningitis back in 2003 (18 mos after implantation). She went to a good hospital and probably had a good surgeon. Wasn't the fault of either. The device she was implanted with had the positioner that held the eletrodes in the cochlea. The positioner allowed fluid to become trapped in her middle ear/inner ear? The fluid became infected with strep, travelled to her brain, and she nearly died from meningtis.
The kicker? At the time of implantation, she was NOT told that the device she was implanted with was under recall. The decision she made nearly cost her her life. 
