Sales tax inspector regains hearing after thirty years with cochlear implant at government hospital

Nagpur: A 35-year-old sales tax inspector from Bhandara can now finally hear after nearly 30 long years, following a cochlear implant in a rare and challenging surgery at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital's (IGGMCH) ENT department recently. The department is a leading cochlear implant referral centre in the state and is said to be the only govt medical college to have achieved the feat of successfully performing it on an adult at an advanced age.
At Rs19 lakh, this is also the costliest implant ever fixed in a patient in a govt medical college. Patient Sheetal Lonare, who paid for the high-end device from her savings, opted for IGGMCH over a private hospital due to the ENT department led by Dr Jeevan Vedi's impeccable record. "We have performed 115 cochlear implants, mostly on kids covered under govt schemes. This 116th was unique as it was the first time the patient was older, not covered under any subsidy scheme, and the implant cost was maximum. Being a govt hospital, surgery and hospital charges were bare minimum," said Dr Vedi, ENT professor and cochlear implant surgeon.
The cochlear implant comprises a processor on the ear pinnae and an insertion of a 0.3mm-0.4mm diametre receiver stimulator having a 22-electrode array. The implant restores hearing loss by delivering sound waves directly to cochlear nerves.
Lonare lost her hearing sensation following a mumps infection in the 1990s. By then, she acquired linguistic skills and spent her childhood in regular schooling, followed by a postgraduate degree in MA economics. She cleared the MPSC under the Persons with Disabilities category and joined the GST department in 2019. However, she always wanted to regain her hearing power given the sensitive nature of her work involving financial matters, said her father, Purandas Lonere, a retired junior college principal.
"After she lost hearing to neuronitis, I consulted several doctors and even went to a renowned doctor in Hyderabad, but they expressed helplessness. Recently, Sheetal read about Dr Vedi and his work. We learnt he was adjudged best doctor and best teacher by the state govt. Dr Vedi examined her, studied her case, and agreed to perform the surgery," said Purandas.
Sheetal said she would like to hear the voice of her elder sister Meenal, who taught her lip-reading in childhood and helped her through thick and thin.
Besides Dr Vedi and his ENT team, assistant professor Dr Ritesh Shelkar, Dr Vaibhav Chandankhede, Dr Shelgaokar, Dr Fating, Dr Priyal Shelkar, the anaesthesia team, and the entire OT staff worked on the case.
IGGMCH Dean Dr Ravi Chauhan said this is a benchmark surgery. Dr Vedi said the high-end device is guided by smart-nav technology, which helped him with real-time feedback during insertion of the implant.