Abstract
Objective: A patient with a well-healed, functional cochlear implant (CI) experienced a CI and mastoid infection shortly after initiating large-volume nasal irrigations after sinus surgery. The goal of this report is to bring attention to a rare complication and to question if large-volume nasal irrigation is safe in CI recipients.
Patients: Single patient at a tertiary care hospital. Interventions: A CI recipient began using large-volume nasal irrigations with saline and budesonide after undergoing sinus surgery.
Main Outcome Measures: CI infection and mastoiditis.
Results: Two weeks after starting nasal irrigations, the patient presented with mastoiditis and CI infection. Mastoid and intranasal middle meatal cultures both grew Group A streptococcus.
Conclusion: Large-volume nasal irrigations may be related to our patient's CI infection, ultimately leading to explantation. Though a causal relationship cannot be definitively proven, awareness of this potential safety issue should be disseminated.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 12-13 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Otology and Neurotology |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jan 20 2015 |
Keywords
- Cochlear implant
- Eustachian tube reflux
- Infection
- Large-volume irrigation
- Saline nasal irrigation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Sensory Systems
- Clinical Neurology