Cochlear implants: frequently asked questions

Cochlear (Nucleus 5, 6 & 7 and Kanso), Medel (Sonnet, Opus2 & Rondo) and Advanced Bionics (Naida CIQ 90) cochlear implants are often described as water resistant and can be worn in the rain, for sports where sweat may be an issue, or on the beach. Whilst protected from dust and water, they are splashproof and not suitable for swimming, bathing or immersing in water.

Each manufacturer has designed its own water accessory to protect the speech processor and enable your child to enjoy playing and having fun in water. It is sometimes included free of charge in the starter kit you receive when your child is first fitted with their cochlear implant.

The only waterproof speech processor is the Neptune made by Advanced Bionics. The Neptune has an IP68 rating and can be submerged in up to three metres of water and used safely in the pool and bath.

Although it’s designed for use while children play in the sand and splashing in the sea, the manufacturers don’t recommend it be immersed in salt water due to the corrosive effects of the salt.

Children who have compatible internal parts may be able to upgrade to the Neptune when their next routine upgrade is due.

Talk to your audiologist for more information on the options available.

• Advanced Bionics Naida CI Q90 is used with the Aqua Case and Aqua Mic
• Cochlear Nucleus is used with the Aqua +
• Medel Sonnet is used with the WaterWear

Read these tips from parents on how they encouraged their children to wear their hearing aids and cochlear implant processors, and ideas on how to decorate and personalise a hearing aid and cochlear implant processors. 

Cochlear implant speech processors require batteries and they will need to be changed regularly, between once a day and once a week.

They're provided free from the NHS and are usually small button batteries which are disposable (can’t be recharged).

Your implant team will usually provide a quantity of batteries but if you run out you should be able to get a small supply:

• from a local health centre/GP surgery near your home
• through a Teacher of the Deaf so that they can be collected at your child’s school
• by post.

In an emergency it’s possible to buy batteries for hearing aids that would be suitable as a short-term option for a cochlear implant from most high street chemists.

Some audiology and implant services will ask you to return old batteries when requesting new ones.

Keep your used batteries in the original packaging to keep them safe and so you can be sure no old batteries have gone missing. Batteries from speech processors are extremely dangerous if swallowed.

If you think your child may have swallowed a battery or inserted it in their ear or nose, take them to your nearest A&E department. Take along a packet of batteries so that doctors are aware of what they are dealing with.

Your child’s implant team will show you how to do daily checks on the external parts of the implant – the speech processor and the transmitter coil. The team will also give you a set of replacement leads and coils that you can change at home yourself.

For more details of daily checks for cochlear implants speech processors and transmitter coils see page 28 of Cochlear Implants: A guide for families.

Children with cochlear implants are able to take part in most activities, although sometimes it’s a good idea to remove the speech processor during the activity to prevent it being damaged, for example, when taking part in football, netball and swimming.

In order to avoid damaging the internal part of the implant, children with cochlear implants are advised to wear head protection for some activities and to avoid contact sports where a knock to the head is likely such as judo, kickboxing and rugby.

For specific advice speak to your cochlear implant team and/or the implant manufacturer.

Deaf children can and do take part in a variety of sporting activities. UK Deaf Sport has been set up to promote deaf sports and has details of deaf sports matches and results.

The British Deaf Association also has details of different sporting events. Your local deaf children's society may also have information on sporting events or clubs in your area.

Cochlear implants can be connected to a variety of other technology and equipment using direct audio input, the telecoil (or T programme) or Bluetooth.

All NHS cochlear implants are compatible for use with radio aids. 

Setting a speech processor to the T programme could help your child hear music, the TV or someone speaking in a public place (through a loop system) much more clearly and with no background noise.

Cochlear implants often have accessories and cables available that mean they can be connected to other equipment such as mobile phones, MP3 players, games consoles, TVs and computers. Bluetooth accessories may need to be 'paired' with the implants so that they only work with those speech processors.

For more information on radio aids and other equipment that can be used with cochlear implants see products and technology.

The NHS provides speech processors on a permanent loan basis and they always remain the property of the NHS rather than the wearer.

Parents are expected to take every reasonable care of their child’s speech processors, and implant teams will provide retention accessories and advice on their use to make sure that speech processors can be worn securely and without fear of them falling off and being lost.

Your implant team will provide guidance on action to be taken should loss or damage occur to one of your child’s speech processors.

The NHS is legally allowed to charge for the loss or damage of equipment (except Scotland).

The NHS can’t insist that parents insure their child’s speech processors, as they remain the property of the NHS rather than the wearer. However, some parents choose to insure against the risk of being charged for any loss.

Most household insurance will cover this (let the insurance company know and have the speech processors listed as a named item on the policy). To make sure cover is adequate, speak to your implant team about the costs of your child’s speech processor – this is likely to be in the region of £6000 each.

When travelling abroad, you may wish to purchase travel insurance to cover the speech processor and external parts of the implant.

Read our policy on insurance and replacement of hearing equipment: Charging and insurance to cover the cost of replacing or repairing of all hearing and listening equipment provided by NHS and Local Authorities.

There’s no reason why a child can’t wear speech processors at night although they may not be very comfortable to rest on. If your child doesn’t like the quiet when the processors are taken off you could perhaps remove them soon after they fall asleep.

It might also help to have a safe place for the processors (for example, a special box close to the child’s bed where they can put them away and retrieve them safely when wanted). It can be helpful for young children to make processors part of their dressing and undressing routine in the morning and evening.