Preliminary experience using a cochlear implant with a novel linear pedestal design

Objective To assess the safety and efficiency of cochlear implantation using a novel device with a linear silastic pedestal (2 mm wide, 2 mm deep, 10 mm long) on the flat undersurface. Methods Operative times required to drill a linear groove (LG) for the new linear pedestal design were prospectively accrued for 46 implantations in 30 children (median age 3). Intra-operative safety was assessed during each case. Instances of dural exposure in the base of the LG were noted. Length of stay was also recorded as a secondary measure of efficiency. Results Across all surgeons, the mean time needed to create the LG was 1.9 ± 1.5 min (±SD) with a median time of 1.5 min (95% Cl: 1–2 min). The range in time was 1–10 min. No intraoperative complications occurred. Intended device positioning was confirmed with on-table post-operative x-rays in all cases .43% of patients were discharged on the day of surgery. Conclusions The novel linear pedestal design allows for deliberate device placement while adding little additional operative time and complexity, an improvement on our current standard of care.