World Hearing Day: Mary Mediatrix does cochlear implant surgery for kid

MANILA, Philippines — Doctors at Mary Mediatrix Medical Center in Batangas successfully performed a cochlear implant surgery in March on a five-year-old patient with profound hearing loss. 

This was a highly delicate procedure and only the third of its kind done in Batangas and the broader Southern Luzon region. 

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The surgery happened a little over two weeks after the celebration last March 3 of World Hearing Day while the Department of Health promotes ear health for the rest of the month.

“Profound hearing loss can significantly affect a child’s ability to learn language, communicate, and interact with the world,” said Joy Celyn Ignacio-Fajardo, ENT-head and neck surgery specialist at Mary Mediatrix.

“A cochlear implant can give children the opportunity to develop listening and speaking skills that are essential for education and social development,” added the doctor who led the team that did the procedure.

The surgery itself is considered highly complex and intricate particularly in pediatric patients. Surgeons must carefully place a receiver device under the skin and insert an electrode array into the tiny, spiral-shaped cochlea of the inner ear. 

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The procedure requires precise planning, advanced surgical expertise, and a multidisciplinary team to ensure both safety and optimal outcomes.

Timing for pediatric cochlear implantation is critical. Specialists emphasize that there is a window of neuroplasticity during early childhood when the brain is most capable of learning to process sound and develop language. 

Cochlear implantation is most effective when performed as early as possible, ideally before school age.

Timely intervention

“The earlier we can provide access to sound, the greater the child’s chance of developing normal speech and language skills,” Ignacio-Fajardo said. “This is why early diagnosis and timely intervention are so important.”

Before surgery, pediatric candidates undergo a comprehensive evaluation that includes detailed hearing tests, imaging studies such as CT or MRI scans, and consultations with audiologists, speech therapists, and pediatric specialists. 

Audiologists play a key role in determining the severity of hearing loss, assessing whether hearing aids are insufficient, and preparing the child and family for post-implant rehabilitation.

Ignacio-Fajardo said parents should realize the importance of newborn screening, including both the Apgar assessment at birth and dedicated hearing screening tests. 

“Early detection of congenital hearing impairment allows parents and doctors to begin timely treatment,” she said. “This can dramatically improve developmental outcomes.”

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to watch for early signs of hearing difficulty in infants and toddlers. Signs include lack of response to loud sounds, delayed or absent babbling, difficulty recognizing voices, or delayed speech milestones. Prompt consultation with a pediatrician or ENT specialist can lead to early diagnosis and appropriate intervention.

Financial help

According to Ignacio-Fajardo, Mary Mediatrix and the medical team that attended to the patient also did their part in helping the parents avail of financial assistance to help defray the cost of the implant, which was around P800,000.

“We leveraged our contacts with agencies like the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes and other donors to raise the money for one implant. Ideally, the patient should have received two implants, one for each ear. But since we could only raise money for one implant, we went with that. A single implant is good enough to help the patient,” said Ignacio-Fajardo.

She also mentioned that for this cochlear implant surgery, she didn’t charge her regular professional fee. It was her way of helping the patient and the parents, and also part of her personal advocacy for hearing health. 

“Every child deserves the chance to hear, speak, and reach their full potential,” she said.