[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 28, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10866-10867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-4823]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Consensus Development Conference on Cochlear Implants in Adults
and Children
Notice is hereby given of the NIH Consensus Development Conference
on ``Cochlear Implants in Adults and Children,'' which will be held May
15-17, 1995, in the Natcher Conference Center of the National
Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. on May 15, at 8 a.m. on May 16, and
at 9 a.m. on May 17.
Cochlear implants are effective options in habilitation and
rehabilitation of individuals with profound hearing impairment. The
vast majority of adults who are deaf and have cochlear implants derive
substantial benefit from them when they are used in conjunction with
speechreading, and a considerable number of implanted individuals can
understand speech without visual clues. Benefits have also been
observed in children including those who lost their hearing
prelingually.
The NIH sponsored a Consensus Development Conference on Cochlear
Implants in 1988. Since then, implant technology has been continually
improved. Questions unanswered at this time have now been resolved.
However, new issues have emerged that must be addressed. For example,
the performance of some severely to profoundly hearing-impaired adults
using hearing aids is poorer than that of even more severely hearing-
impaired individuals using cochlear implants with advanced speech
processing strategies. Therefore, the criteria for implantation should
be re-examined. Prediction of implant efficacy in a specific individual
remains a problem, and agreement does not exist on the definition of a
successful implant user. Surgical and other risks and possible long-
term effects of cochlear implants require evaluation.
Implantation of individuals with multiple disabilities, the
elderly, and children, particularly children who are prelingually deaf,
engender special questions. What educational setting is best for the
development of speech and language in children who are deaf and have a
cochlear implant? Are cochlear implants efficacious in children who are
prelingually deaf?
This conference will bring together specialists in auditory anatomy
and physiology, otolaryngology, audiology, aural rehabilitation,
education, speech and language pathology and other related disciplines
as well as representatives from the public.
After 1\1/2\ days of presentations and audience discussion, an
independent, non-Federal consensus panel will weigh the scientific
evidence and write a draft statement that it will present to the
audience on the third day. The consensus statement will address the
following key questions:
* What factors affect the auditory performance of cochlear implant
recipients?
* What are the benefits and limitations of cochlear implantation?
* What are the technical and safety considerations of cochlear
implantation?
* Who is a candidate for cochlear implantation?
* What are the directions for future research on cochlear
implantation?
The primary sponsors for this conference are the National Institute
on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the NIH Office of
Medical Applications of Research. The conference is cosponsored by the
National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke. This is the 100th Consensus Development Conference held by
NIH since the establishment of the Consensus Development Program in
1977.
On the second day of the conference, time has been allocated for 5-
minute formal oral presentations by concerned individuals or
organizations. Those individuals or groups wishing to send a
representative to contribute during this session must contact Ms. Elsa
Bray by 5 p.m. eastern time, May 1, 1995 at: Office of Medical
Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health, Federal
Building, Room 618, 7550 Wisconsin Avenue MSC9120, Bethesda, Maryland
20892-9120, phone (301) 496-1144. If the number of requests exceeds the
slots available, presenters will be chosen by lot, and those selected
will be notified by May 5, 1995.
Advance information on the conference program and conference
registration materials may be obtained from: Ann Besignano, Technical
Resources International, Inc., 3202 Tower Oaks Blvd., Suite 200,
Rockville, Maryland 20852, (301) 770-3153.
The consensus statement will be submitted for publication in
professional journals and other publications. In addition, the
consensus statement will be available beginning May 17, 1995 from the
NIH Consensus Program Information Service, P.O. Box 2577, Kensington,
Maryland 20891, [[Page 10867]] phone 1-800-NIH-OMAR (1-800-644-6627).
Dated: February 9, 1995.
Ruth L. Kirschstein,
Deputy Director, NIH.
[FR Doc. 95-4823 Filed 2-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M
