Risk of Bacterial Meningitis and Death in Children with Cochlear Implants

Also if you are curious what causes Bacterial Meningitis....check out this list with all different kinds of causes.
 
sabrina, hmm . . . no answer to the question on the table. I'll just assume it wasn't the DHHS, but rather misinformation supplied by sabrina. if one wants to oppose the CI, then please argue on merit -- not with false information.
 
Originally posted by Sabrina
This is the warning that has been recently issued by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a branch under the US Department of Health and Human Services.

It begs the question - which is the best bet for a child found to be deaf - a CI or the best hearing aid device on the market?

Risk of Bacterial Meningitis and Death in Children with Cochlear Implants July, 2003

Many people have received cochlear implants to help them hear and communicate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been looking at a possible link between cochlear implants and meningitis. This study is now complete and has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study had two purposes: (1) to find out how many children who had cochlear implants got bacterial meningitis afterwards, and (2) to find out if there are factors that might make it more likely that someone would get meningitis after getting a cochlear implant.

Following are links that provide some basic information about the study results, as well as sources where you can find more about cochlear implants, meningitis and death, please read and a link to the New England Journal of Medicine article.


http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/349/5/435?ijkey=FGbgCPw7gQwjk&keytype=ref&siteid=nejm
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Did you type all of this above or did you copy and paste?

If you copy and paste...I'll like to know where you copy and pasted it all from?
 
I tried to check out the link that you gave us, Sabrina, but that requires a paid subscription to this site to gain access to read what it says.

Here's what it says of the Abstract (summary of it) that I can only gain with a free limited registered account.

Risk of Bacterial Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants

Jennita Reefhuis, Ph.D., Margaret A. Honein, Ph.D., Cynthia G. Whitney, M.D., Shadi Chamany, M.D., Eric A. Mann, M.D., Ph.D., Krista R. Biernath, M.D., Karen Broder, M.D., Susan Manning, M.D., Swati Avashia, M.D., Marcia Victor, M.P.H., Pamela Costa, M.A., Owen Devine, Ph.D., Ann Graham, C.R.N.A., M.P.H., and Coleen Boyle, Ph.D.


ABSTRACT

Background In June 2002, the Food and Drug Administration received reports of bacterial meningitis in patients with cochlear implants for treatment of hearing loss. Implants that included a positioner (a wedge inserted next to the implanted electrode to facilitate transmission of the electrical signal by pushing the electrode against the medial wall of the cochlea) were voluntarily recalled in the United States in July 2002.

Methods We identified patients with meningitis and conducted a cohort study and a nested case–control investigation involving 4264 children who had received cochlear implants in the United States between January 1, 1997, and August 6, 2002, and who were less than six years of age when they received the implants. We calculated the incidence of meningitis in the cohort and assessed risk factors for meningitis among patients and among 199 controls, using data from interviews with parents and abstracted from medical records.

Results We identified 26 children with bacterial meningitis. The incidence of meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae was 138.2 cases per 100,000 person-years — more than 30 times the incidence in a cohort of the same age in the general U.S. population. Postimplantation bacterial meningitis was strongly associated with the use of an implant with a positioner (odds ratio, 4.5 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 17.9], with adjustment for medical, surgical, and environmental factors) and with the joint presence of radiographic evidence of a malformation of the inner ear and a cerebrospinal fluid leak (adjusted odds ratio, 9.3 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 94.5]). The incidence of meningitis among patients who had received an implant with a positioner remained higher than the incidence among those whose implants did not have a positioner for the duration of follow-up (24 months from the time of implantation).

Conclusions Parents and health care providers should ensure that all children who receive cochlear implants are appropriately vaccinated and are then monitored and treated promptly for any bacterial infections after receiving the implant.


Source Information

From the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (J.R., M.A.H., K.R.B., M.V., P.C., O.D., C.B.), the Epidemiology Program Office (J.R., S.C., K.B., S.M., S.A.), the National Center for Infectious Diseases (C.G.W., S.C.), and the National Immunization Program (K.B.), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; the Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md. (E.A.M., A.G.); the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York (S.M.); and the Texas Department of Health, Austin (S.A.).
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In other words, only 26 out of 4264 children contacted Bacterial Meningitis. Also if you would read the paragraph that I made bold carefully. It's perfectly safe as long as everything are done carefully. :D
 
26 out of 4264 kids that had CI and contracted bacterial meningitis works out to 0.6% of the total (4264) in this study silence posted.
 
Originally posted by SilenceGold
I tried to check out the link that you gave us, Sabrina, but that requires a paid subscription to this site to gain access to read what it says.

Here's what it says of the Abstract (summary of it) that I can only gain with a free limited registered account.



In other words, only 26 out of 4264 children contacted Bacterial Meningitis. Also if you would read the paragraph that I made bold carefully. It's perfectly safe as long as everything are done carefully. :D
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I agree with you, SG, it really does depend on how the surgery's done and how carefully things are done...plus, the sterility of the surgical tools as well. Plus, post-operation antibotics, etc.
 
Whoa !! Wow alot of read... It surely gives me alot of homework to do reply those questions.

SilenceGold has alot of good anology into that.. I don't know, where can I start to reply. I didn't have much time to do right now. Jeeze !

Interesting about your future Deaf children. I can image how difficult for both of u and Lisa to make a good descision. Both of you are brilliant parents, I am sure your children will look up at both of you to learn ASL really quickly and pick up many terms by read the books and socialize with other many Deaf children.

You sound like a GREAT Daddy to this Deaf boy. You impressed me alot ! He will always never forgot you since you are damn good to him. :)

I will get back with this thread when I will have a chance.

Sabrina
 
I've read about this of young kids developing menegitis after having CI surgeries. It has nothing to do with the CIs, like SilenceGold said earlier. Besides, the doctors was supposed to make sure the kids had an immunization shot for menegitis.. right now they are doing that and making sure everyone who is recieving a CI to get the immunization shots before surgery.
 
I'm very sad when I read the the Deaf news yesterday.
There´re over 100 of people died due to meningitis after CI operation. We also have 3 small children who died in Germany, too.

Here in Germany they are fighting to against the implant the babies to small children. They beleive that the children get old enough to decide themselves either they want CI or not.
 
Hmm. I had the surgery...and the vaccination...didn't do a thing. I got Bacterial Meningitis anyway.
 
Malfoyish said:
Hmm. I had the surgery...and the vaccination...didn't do a thing. I got Bacterial Meningitis anyway.
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Really?...Did your doctor tell you what causes it?....and if you had your vaccination how come it didnt protect from getting Bacterial Meningitis...I'm new on this...Would love to learn more! :)
 
ummm Boult ,

I am unable to look at those web sites you've post is there another web site I can look up?...

When I click those two .....This is what It said....[ Service Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request. Please try again later.]....
 
It works fine here with Boult's links *Winks* ...
 
^Angel^ said:
ummm Boult ,

I am unable to look at those web sites you've post is there another web site I can look up?...

When I click those two .....This is what It said....[ Service Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request. Please try again later.]....
Click to expand...
try again... it still works for me
 
Boult,

I got it now.....I typed the web sites in Internet Explorer and it works !

Thanks!.. :mrgreen:
 
Malfoyish said:
Hmm. I had the surgery...and the vaccination...didn't do a thing. I got Bacterial Meningitis anyway.
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Yes, it´s true. You are not only one who says this... Many children received vaccination but still they got Bacterical Miningitis after CI surgery. 3 toddlers died in Germany (see my post in first thread).
 
SilenceGold said:
There's always a risk of bacterial meningitis regardless of that type of surgery was performed as long as it was around the head.
....
It really has nothing to do with CIs. It just has to do with the surgeries around the head. I've read a medicial journal about bacterial meningitis that tends to develop around in "air pockets" that are created by the surgery. It allows the bacteria the room to be able to grow without interpurtions from the body's immune systems (no blood or any other body fluids in the "air pocket").

I'll bet you that if a surgery is performed to where there is virtually no bacteria in that operating room....there'll be no bacteria going into those air pockets of your body. Other words, the safer the surgery is..the less likely you would get any infections.

I posted this to prevent any misinformation to develop and be spread.
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Any cut/damage to the dura can causes meningitis. It can come from surgeries or severe injuries to the head. They do take care to make sure that the O.R. is bacteria-free. Still, one do come down with meningitis, although rarely.
 
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