Antibiotic prophylaxis in cochlear implantation: current practice.

A postal survey examined the current use of prophylatic antibiotics during cochlear implantation. Seventeen centres, worldwide, replied giving details on 1030 cochlear implant operations: 56.4 per cent were implanted with antibiotic prophylaxis and 43.6 per cent without; 2.9 per cent of devices were removed because of infection, 4.5 per cent of those with prophylaxis and 0.9 per cent of those without. Most cases of infection were associated with technical problems in the design or the positioning of the device. No cases of meningitis were reported. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis does not appear to offer any benefit.