From silence to sound: Tobias Fischers Weg with the cochlea implant

From silence to sound: Tobias Fischers Weg with the cochlea implant

Hannover, Deutschland - Tobias Fischer is an example of hope and perseverance. At the age of only four, he lost his hearing through bacterial meningitis, a disease that can lead to a significant hearing loss in children. According to Hannover-hoeren-hnernte-bwsvcx3of5fi5ny5Upkkkkkkkkww2eu.html?outPuttype=valid_amp"> haz.de On June 14, 1988, he was the first child in Europe to receive a Cochlea implant (CI) at the Hannover Medical School (MHH). The operation, which was carried out by Professor Ernst Lehnhardt, was the beginning of a new phase of life for Tobias. After only five weeks, he was able to hear with a language processor.

The story of Tobias is a beacon for many, because not only did he master the challenge of his deafness, but today he lives in Vienna as a system engineer in the aerospace industry. Despite the initial worries that his parents had after the diagnosis, they looked for solutions. Finally his mother contacted the MHH, where Professor Lehnhardt looked for suitable patients.

challenges and progress

It is noteworthy that Tobias had difficulty keeping his language before the operation. He was often silent and withdrawn. Thanks to special support, which included listening training and speech therapy, he was able to successfully regain his language skills. He also attended a regular kindergarten and chose a regular school while he rejected offers for deaf schools. This shows how important it is that affected children have the opportunity to learn integratively.

Even after the first successful implantation, life brought new challenges for Tobias. In 2007 he received a second cochlea implant, which opened up new audience, but at the same time also brought with it a new series of challenges. He describes the experience of not listening as difficult and he sleeps night after night without his audio processor.

meaning of early intervention

The case history of Tobias illustrates the importance of a quick diagnosis and a rapid cochlea implantation according to meningitis. According to Hearbetter.medel.com , up to 30% of patients are affected according to pneumococcal meningitis. A quick CI supply is crucial to secure hearing, since delayed treatment due to fibrosis or ossification of cochlea reduces the chances of audiological success.

Another example shows how crucial the quality of early intervention is. The case of Isabella W., which blindly blindly made pneumococcal meningitis, illustrates the challenges. After four years of unnoticed hearing loss, a cochlea implant with a special short electrode was finally used, which led to positive listening successes. Studies show that early interventions can significantly improve the audiological results.

Tobias Fischer and similar successes are not only personal triumph, but also an incentive for medical facilities to continue to rely on early medical interventions. The goal of enabling hearing and ensuring social participation for affected children remains a challenge that must be mastered.