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Surgery for Adults

Before your surgery

Our ENT secretaries will be in touch with you to arrange a suitable date for your operation.  They will tell you when and where to report to.  They will also give you information about when you should start fasting.  It is very important that you fast before your surgery, although you will be allowed to sip water up until you are called for surgery

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On the day of your surgery

See the step-by-step guide below which describes what will happen on the day of your surgery

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After Surgery

• You will have an x-ray before you go home.
• You can remove the bandage the next day.
• Your nurse will give you information and medicine to take home.  
• Keep your wound clean and dry for 72 hours (no hair washing for 72 hours).
• You will have dissolvable stitches - these don't need to be removed and should dissolve within a couple of weeks.
• Take things easy for one to two weeks following surgery.

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Surgery for Children

Before your child's surgery

Our ENT secretaries will be in touch to arrange a suitable date for your child's operation.  They will tell you when and where to report to.  They will also give you information about when you should start fasting.  It is very important that your child fasts before your surgery (no food or milk), although they will be allowed to sip water up until they are called for surgery.

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On the day of surgery 

The booklet below is a social story that you can use with your child to show them what happens on the day of surgery. 

Click on the picture to see more.

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After surgery

• Your child will have an x-ray before you go home.
• Most children are up and about the day after surgery but they might be a bit unsteady for a few days.  Your child's nurse will give you information and medicine to take home.
• Try to keep the bandage on for 24 hours.
• Your child will have dissolvable stiches - these don't need to be removed and should dissolve within a couple of weeks.
• Keep your child's wound clean and dry for 72 hours (no hair washing for 72 hours)

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Local Anaesthetic Cochlear Implant Surgery

It may be possible for some adults, to have their cochlear implant operation under a local anaesthetic. 

This information booklet gives you information about the benefits and downsides of local anaesthetic.

Watch the video below to hear Caroline talk about her experience of having cochlear implant surgery a local anaesthetic. 

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Additional Information for your Surgery

Risks of Surgery

Cochlear implantation has an excellent record and is generally straightforward.

This information booklet gives you information about the surgery and the risk or complications that are associated with it.

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Patient Experiences

Watch our cochlear implant users describe their experiences of surgery in the videos below. Read and watch more patient stories here.

   

 

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Top tips for surgery

We asked some of our cochlear implant users what their top tips for surgery were:

• Bring button up PJ's and clothes as it can be difficult to get clothes over your head after surgery.

• I need my glasses to support lipreading, but there was no way I could get them on over the bandage immediately after surgery.  My implant was on the right, so I took the right arm off an old pair of glasses, then I could balance them on the other ear and my nose so I could see to follow the nurses talking to me after the operation.

• Bring a book to read or something to entertain you whilst waiting

• Bring a bobble for long hair to be tied up tidily during the operation

• If you prefer to communicate with a whiteboard or talk-type app, bring this along on the day to help you chat with the doctors/ nurses looking after you.

Top tips from Angus's Mum for surgery