Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cochlear Implant Usage in Children

Sunday, October 12, 2025

8:24 AM - 8:30 AM EDT

Location: 233-234

Disclosure(s):

Peter Kfoury, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Cochlear implants (CI) have revolutionized the treatment of children with hearing loss, with consistent use being crucial in optimizing auditory and language outcomes. This study explores the previously unexamined impact of pandemic-related changes on CI usage by analyzing hearing hour percentage (HHP) during the pandemic period and comparing them with pre-pandemic data.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent CI between January 2018 and September 2023 in Primary Children’s Hospital, UT. Inclusion criteria included first-time CI recipients with at least one year of follow-up data. HHP was calculated by dividing total wear time by the expected daily awake time based on the patient’s age. Various demographic and clinical factors, including age, insurance type, hearing loss profile, surgeon, and period of implantation were analyzed for their impact on HHP. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of HHP, with demographic, clinical, and procedural variables entered as independent variables.

Results: A total of 156 patients were included in the analysis. The median HHP across the cohort was 49.3%. The pandemic period was associated with a significant decrease in HHP, with median HHP dropping from 61.3% pre-COVID to 38.7% during the pandemic. Toddlers aged between 1 and 3 years old showed the lowest HHP across age groups reaching a median of 26.4% compared to 52.6% for preschoolers aged 3 to 5.9 (p=0.0020), 62.2 for elementary aged 6 to 12.9 (p < 0.001), and 59.7 for teenagers aged between 13 and 18.9 years old (p=0.0003). Linear regression analysis identified several factors that influenced HHP, including age group, type of insurance, single-sided deafness, and study period of implantation.

Conclusions: This study identifies key predictors of CI usage and HHP, including age, hearing loss profile, insurance coverage, during the pandemic. The decline of CI usage during the pandemic signals a need for strategies to optimize CI usage among children, especially during pandemics, given their high likelihood in the future.

Presenting Author(s)

Peter Kfoury, MD

Post-Doctoral Research Associate
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

KT

Kathryn Tonkovich, AuD

Primary Children’s Hospital – Intermountain Health Care, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
EJ

Eun Kyung Jeon, AuD

University of Iowa, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Jordan C. Stout, BFA

Medical Student / Research Fellow
University of Utah
Phoenix, AZ, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
HC

Hannah Christensen, N/A

Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
MR

Megna D. Reddy

Research Associate
University of Utah
Milton, GA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
MF

Matthew A. Firpo, PhD

Research Associate Professor
3. Department of Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

albert H. park, MD

Professor
Primary Children's Medical Center
Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.