• V Darlong, Puneet Khanna, Dalim Kumar Baidya, Chandralekha, Ravindra Pandey, Jyotsna Punj, Rakesh Kumar, and Kapil Sikka.
• Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 5th Floor Teaching Block, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India.
• J Anesth. 2015 Feb 1; 29 (1): 126-30.

AbstractCochlear implant is a commonly performed surgery for hearing loss in pre-school and school children. However, data on anesthesia management and anesthesia-related complications are sparse. We retrospectively reviewed the data of our institute from January, 2007 to December, 2012. Medical records and anesthesia charts of all the patients who had undergone cochlear implant under general anesthesia between this period were reviewed. Information related to the demographic profile, preoperative evaluation, anesthetic techniques, and perioperative complications were collected and analyzed. A total of 190 patients underwent cochlear implant surgery for pre-lingual (175) and post-lingual (15) deafness. General endotracheal anesthesia with inhalational agents was used in all the cases. Difficult intubation was encountered in three patients. Anesthesia-related complications were laryngospasm at extubation (4.73 %), emergence agitation (2.63 %), and postoperative nausea and vomiting (1.05 %). Major surgical complications were CSF leak without meningitis (3.15 %), device migration/failure (1.05 %), and flap infection (1.57 %). Cochlear implant under general anesthesia in small children is safe and anesthesia-related complications were minimal. Surgical complications, although more frequent, were predominantly minor and self-limiting.

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