Sacramento ear, nose and throat neurotologist Varun Varadarajan, MD, performed what he says is the first cochlear implant surgery in the Sacramento region done with the patient fully awake, CBS News reported Aug. 27.
The procedure used local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia. Dr. Varadarajan made an incision behind the patient’s ear, drilled into the mastoid bone, and threaded an electrode array into the cochlea to bypass damaged portions of the inner ear and stimulate the auditory nerve directly.
The patient, Patty Peasley, has moderate to severe hearing loss and Type 1 diabetes. She described the awake procedure as comparable to a routine office visit: “That was not an issue for me. It was like going to the dentist.” She had delayed treatment despite recognizing her hearing loss, saying, “I’ve realized for quite some time that I was missing an important part of my life.”
Dr. Varadarajan said the awake technique speeds recovery and avoids the side effects of general anesthesia. “Now they’re in and out of the same morning, and a couple of weeks later they’re already hearing,” he said.
The procedure comes as cochlear implants remain significantly underused nationally. More than 1 million Americans could benefit from a cochlear implant, but only about 10% of eligible patients have received one, according to Dr. Varadarajan. The awake approach could help lower a barrier — fear of general anesthesia — that keeps some candidates from pursuing the surgery.
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