Alothman Noura I, Alarifi Sarah S, Almuhawas Fida A, Alamri Ghada S, Alshehri Reem M, Alharbi Norah J, Alqaysi Khuloud S, Almtairi Noura M, Abdelsamad Yassin
From the Department of Health Communication Sciences (Alothman, Alamri, Alshehri, Alharbi, Alqaysi, Almtairi), College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University; from the Research Department (Alarifi, Abdelsamad), MED-EL GmbH; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Almuhawas), College of Medicine, King Saud University; and from the King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center (KAESC), King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Med J. 2025 Jul;46(7):797-805. doi: 10.15537/smj.2025.46.7.20250137.
To examine auditory environments and challenges faced by pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users in Saudi Arabia by comparing auditory settings and device usage between preschoolers and school-age children.
A retrospective analysis was conducted on prelingually deafened children under 18 years of age using SONNET2/RONDO3 MED-EL CI. Children were categorized based on Saudi Arabia's primary school enrollment age. Datalogging metrics from 2020-2022 on device usage and auditory scene exposure were analyzed using R Software, with descriptive statistics and regression models exploring relationships between demographic factors and data logging metrics.
A total of 178 ears met inclusion criteria, with a median age of 5.8 years and a median implantation age of 2.0 years. Median daily CI use was 10.1 hours, with preschoolers using their devices for 7.9 hours and school-age children for 11.6 hours. Predominant auditory exposure was to "speech-in-noise" (49%) and "noise" (37%). Significant correlations were found between age, implantation age, and various datalogging metrics.
Pediatric CI users in Saudi Arabia showed increased daily CI use with age, primarily in noisy environments, highlighting the need for acoustically optimized settings to support speech perception. Chronological age was a key determinant of CI usage and auditory exposure, emphasizing its role in tailoring interventions to improve outcomes for children with CI.
通过比较学龄前儿童和学龄儿童的听觉环境及设备使用情况，研究沙特阿拉伯小儿人工耳蜗（CI）使用者面临的听觉环境和挑战。
对18岁以下使用SONNET2/RONDO3 MED-EL CI的语前聋儿童进行回顾性分析。根据沙特阿拉伯小学入学年龄对儿童进行分类。使用R软件分析2020年至2022年期间设备使用和听觉场景暴露的数据记录指标，采用描述性统计和回归模型探索人口统计学因素与数据记录指标之间的关系。
共有178只耳朵符合纳入标准，中位年龄为5.8岁，中位植入年龄为2.0岁。CI的日均使用时间中位数为10.1小时，学龄前儿童使用设备7.9小时，学龄儿童使用11.6小时。主要的听觉暴露是“噪声中的语音”（49%）和“噪声”（37%）。年龄、植入年龄与各种数据记录指标之间存在显著相关性。
沙特阿拉伯的小儿CI使用者随着年龄增长，CI的日均使用时间增加，主要是在嘈杂环境中，这凸显了需要优化声学环境以支持语音感知。实际年龄是CI使用和听觉暴露的关键决定因素，强调了其在定制干预措施以改善CI儿童预后方面的作用。
