Diving with a Cochlear Implant?

[aquahands]

Allright, I'm not new to diving, but here's the scoop.

Buddy of mine got married last year, and his wife has turned out to be... untrusting. Odds are things won't work out for him, and I consider him one of my best friends. Hobbies being an excellent source of diversions, and diving especially offering the opportunity to purchase expensive toys for big guys, I figure it might be a good fit.

Trouble is, He's deaf (Hearing impaired for the PC, but he prefers deaf, heh), and has a cochlear implant installed in 97 (the newer ones). The literature says that he should be good up to 4 atm, but so far I haven't heard or seen anyone on the board with an implant, nor have I seen more than 1 study of long-term diving with an implant (study said no ill effects after 60~ dives, but that is only one person). Also complicated is the fact that when you get an implant, you have a small soft spot in the skull because the bone can't grow back when the implant is in the way.

Does anyone here dive with an implant, or does anyone know / have an experience with a student or buddy with one? I know people who dive with prostheses and such, but this is a little different as we're talking about sensitive electronics implanted in one's head...

Help me help a friend in need. He's been one of my best buddies through thick and thin, and I'm not about to leave a brother hanging after a messy end of relationship that he really shouldn't be at fault for.

Hi! My name is Thomas Koch, I am IDC Staff Instructor and Deaf. I can share that I have certified 20+ divers who have Cochlear Implant. A cochlear implant client can become a scuba diver. My dad has one, and some of my clients has one and took deep diver specialty course with no problem. It is basically on brand of CI and do not go to any audiologist or CI and ask question. They would say NO! Contact Divers Alert Network (DAN) and get the right ENT doctor in your area. The ENT Otolaryngologist on DAN roster would know more about ears and scuba diving.

DAN: +1-919-684-2948

More information about Aqua Hands: Aqua Hands - A Hands-On Aquatic Adventure (We are launching new website on February 10th)

Regards,

Thomas J Koch
PADI IDC Staff Instructor
dive@aquahands.com

 

[gert7to3]

I have seen one diver who had a Cochlear Implant. We were on a boat out of Long Beach, diving Catalina's kelp gardens. He was recently certified, but wanted to dive. I know that feeling.

There are many ways a person can be rendered deaf. The issue anyone will face with such an implant is not whether the implant is water tight, it is, but how well they can equalize their ears and sinuses.

I have both a tympanoplasty (eardrum reconstruction, 1991) and a bone anchored hearing aid (a BAHA 100 from Cochlear, 2011).
The implanted parts of these devices are literally drilled into the recipient's skull. With successful implantation bone literally grows onto the titanium implant.

Funny bit: I asked my doc how he was going to measure the thickness of my skull at the implant site? He said they drill down 3mm. Clean the bore hole and check if there is bone remaining. If there is, they go down another 1mm. However, if they were seeing cerebral fluid, well they were just going to put a screw into the hole anyhow.......

Because my tympanoplasty is more delicate than a regular eardrum, I use a Pro Ear mask. This permits me to dive with my ears dry, yet equalized.

It's good to see some of these older posts pop up occasionally. There are always new folks coming along.

Speaking of implants, I just verified that a total knee replacement (12/10/13) will pique the interest of TSA's magnetometer. Pat downs going forward..............

 

[Jerry Krueger]

I am a bilateral (both ears) implant user. My first implant was in 1996, as a result of a diving accident in Cayman Islands. My second implant was in 2012, as a “winner” of the lottery system used by the same hospital where my first implant was done. The same doctor did both implants. I asked him after the second implant if I can dive again. His response was that if what happened to me in 1996 happens to me know, meaning the same inner ear infection, causes damage to either or both implants, the implants will have to be replaced, AT YOUR EXPENSE. Currently, the Ontario provincial health plan pays for the implants. So, it’s not worth the risk to dive again.

 

[Jerry Krueger]

Hi! My name is Thomas Koch, I am IDC Staff Instructor and Deaf. I can share that I have certified 20+ divers who have Cochlear Implant. A cochlear implant client can become a scuba diver. My dad has one, and some of my clients has one and took deep diver specialty course with no problem. It is basically on brand of CI and do not go to any audiologist or CI and ask question. They would say NO! Contact Divers Alert Network (DAN) and get the right ENT doctor in your area. The ENT Otolaryngologist on DAN roster would know more about ears and scuba diving.

DAN: +1-919-684-2948

More information about Aqua Hands: Aqua Hands - A Hands-On Aquatic Adventure (We are launching new website on February 10th)

Regards,

Thomas J Koch
PADI IDC Staff Instructor
dive@aquahands.com

I have contacted 2 doctors, both of them are ENT specialists, One is my implant doctor. They both have said no, but I’ve been diving above 2ata (33 feet) in order to show my daughters how much fun it is.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I have contacted 2 doctors, both of them are ENT specialists, One is my implant doctor. They both have said no, but I’ve been diving above 2ata (33 feet) in order to show my daughters how much fun it is.

Jerry, is there a question embedded in this post? I would echo what your ENTs said. If your original infection was from a ruptured TM, you're at greatest risk of re-injury at shallower depths. Also, I would strongly recommend that you consult the manufacturer of your implants to see if they've been tested at pressure. If they have not, and you damage them, my guess is you'll be financially responsible for replacement.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Randy Waitman]

I am new to this forum, and recently engaged in some lengthy discussion during a week long dive trip. I realize the thread is old but would like to weigh in. I have been diving since 2003. I received a single side Cochlear Implant (nucleus 22) in 1992. After arguing with my Doctor for quite some time, I was given permission to become certified to dive to a depth of 25 meters, assuming all risk personally. Consequently I became PADI certified, currently DM level and since that time, have completed over 650 dives. More than 50 of them have been near the standard recreational limit of approximately 130ft/40m. I have never had any difficulties arising from equalization or equilibrium and the original implant has held up.
I hope to make many more before I’m done. Always interesting to see comments and dialogue from other CI implanted.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I am new to this forum, and recently engaged in some lengthy discussion during a week long dive trip. I realize the thread is old but would like to weigh in. I have been diving since 2003. I received a single side Cochlear Implant (nucleus 22) in 1992. After arguing with my Doctor for quite some time, I was given permission to become certified to dive to a depth of 25 meters, assuming all risk personally. Consequently I became PADI certified, currently DM level and since that time, have completed over 650 dives. More than 50 of them have been near the standard recreational limit of approximately 130ft/40m. I have never had any difficulties arising from equalization or equilibrium and the original implant has held up.
I hope to make many more before I’m done. Always interesting to see comments and dialogue from other CI implanted.

Randy, what did your physician say about your implant's pressure rating?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Randy Waitman]

Randy, what did your physician say about your implant's pressure rating?

Best regards,
DDM

Hi:
Sorry have been off line for a while. The only thing he said was that somebody has to break the barriers... and youre on your own with it financially. They had no empirical data on the subject. The internal component had been tested to depths beyond recreational limits, but no one seemed to know what would happen if it was actually inside your head, or what might occur in the inner ear. I started out with the 75 foot max, and just sort of slid into the deeper depths over time. no regrets. ;o)

 

[bluesbro1982]

Wow, to resurrect the thread:

My buddy is still happily married, with kids, after however many years since I wrote the post. I'm really happy to have been wrong, and of course it's permanently posted on the Internet...

It is amazing how much information one can get from the collective knowledge of everyone on a large message board.

I'll make sure to use "Deaf" with a capital D now.