Our partner in Turkey is the Acibadem network of clinics.
We continue to talk about the clinics where Ufonda’s wards are treated. The international network of ACIBADEM clinics became our partner in 2017 under the Ufond.Hearing program, namely performing surgeries using a cochlear implant. Modern equipment and methods of treatment, attentive attitude to patients, no language barrier, convenient location (due to the UIA partner program - "Under the Wing", all wards of the fund, can take advantage of discounted flights to the country where they will be treated) - all this possible our cooperation with the clinic. For Ufonda wards, the ACIBADEM network of clinics offers discounts on treatment.Thanks to continuous growth since its founding in 1991, the
ACIBADEM network of clinics has become a popular and respected brand not only in Turkey but also abroad. Today as part of the
ACIBADEM network There are 22 modern multidisciplinary clinics and 19 outpatient clinics in 5 countries (mainly in Turkey, but also in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Macedonia, Northern Iraq). Every year, more than 3.5 million patients seek help, including a large number of foreigners.
ACIBADEM
clinics provide a wide range of services in all medical fields, including highly professional diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the field of oncology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiology, gynecology, sports medicine, etc.
All institutions of the network are equipped with the latest medical technologies, have a modern comfortable infrastructure and work to high international standards. In addition,
ACIBADEM has a team of 2,000 professionals, many of whom are world-renowned, as well as 3,900 nurses and 7,500 support staff.
For the convenience of foreign patients in
ACIBADEM There is an International Center with a staff of more than 150 people. He takes care of the sick from abroad, as well as their families, from the day of treatment until their return home. The Center for Work with Foreign Patients offers a full range of medical travel services, including assistance in obtaining a doctor’s consultation, hotel booking, airport transfer, planning medical consultations and procedures, support and translation during treatment, assistance in obtaining insurance coverage and liaising with doctors after leaving home. It is important to note that the high quality
of ACIBADEM clinics confirmed by the Joint Commission International, the most authoritative and independent international accreditation organization in the United States, which sets and evaluates health care quality standards to help improve care and patient safety in healthcare organizations. About 600 clinics in 51 countries around the world have prestigious JCI accreditation.
ACIBADEM Holding also has its own university, which is engaged in research in the field of medicine and professional training of medical, junior, managerial and administrative staff for clinics. A unique
CASE training center has been created on the basis of the educational institution
(Canter of advanced simulation and education), which is one of the three best training centers in the world for training and retraining of physicians due to its high technical equipment. It consists of two divisions - the Medical Simulation Center and the Training Center for Endoscopy and Robotic Surgery, where doctors have the opportunity to practice the latest medical technologies. ACIBADEM
is also active in the field of medicine in Turkey and abroad. The organization offers various clinical and administrative training programs, training programs, cooperation of local and foreign doctors, joint branding with international partners, international consulting, business management and investment.
Cochlear implantation.According to statistics, for every thousand newborns there is one with total deafness, and in the first 2-3 years of life, three babies lose their hearing. Behind these dry figures lies a human tragedy - the most expensive person in the world will never hear not only the sounds of music or birds singing, but also ordinary speech. It is impossible to convey the despair of parents in words. This was the case until recently. But today there is cochlear implantation. When most of the snail’s receptors are damaged, even the best hearing aids cannot help the deaf, a person hears only low-frequency sounds of medium and high volume, but high-frequency or quiet sounds are not available to him, speech sounds incomprehensible. In such a situation, the child will not be able to learn to understand speech by ear and even more so to speak. Cochlear implant surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. Make a small incision behind the auricle. The surgeon then drills the mastoid process to gain access to the inner ear to insert the electrode array into the cochlea.
When is surgery needed?Of course, it is possible to achieve good results in the rehabilitation of deaf children with early prosthetics and with the help of conventional hearing aids, using various deaf pedagogical techniques. But cochlear implantation opens up new possibilities - to perceive such sound frequencies, which can not be heard with a conventional device. In sensorineural hearing loss, snail receptors are most often affected, while the fibers of the auditory nerve are preserved. But damaged auditory receptors (hair cells) are not able to convert an acoustic signal into an electrical impulse for the sensory sensation to occur. This role is assumed by the cochlear implant. But, in contrast to previous years, today, thanks to the improvement of methods and cochlear devices, the criteria for selecting patients have changed: concomitant visual impairment, cerebral palsy, mental retardation is not an obstacle to surgery. Cochlear implantation is performed in patients with borderline hearing loss (75-90 dB) if a conventional hearing aid does not help.The intervention can be performed at any age, usually from 12 months, although it is possible earlier. In patients with congenital pathology or hearing loss in the first year of life, results can be achieved up to three years. In older children, the issue is resolved, taking into account psychological and medical indicators. In adults, the decision about surgery is made taking into account the state of health.
Rehabilitation is an integral part of treatment. Cochlear implantation consists of several stages:
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Examination of candidates
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Surgery
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Rehabilitation
Preparation for surgery consists of an in-depth audiological examination. In addition, the opinion of an otolaryngologist is required. Sensorineural deafness should be confirmed by audiometry and studies that indicate damage to the auditory system. It is also necessary to exclude pathology of the auditory nerve, in which the operation will be ineffective. The integrity of the eardrum is a must. In addition, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are recommended.
The standard operation lasts about 1.5 hours, during which the cochlear implant is placed in the ear area and the electrodes are inserted into the cochlea. Pathologies that interfere with general anesthesia should be ruled out during preoperative examination.
Rehabilitation is an integral part of cochlear implantation. After cochlear implantation, when connecting the speech processor and tuning, it is necessary to teach the patient to perceive, distinguish sounds and use this knowledge for speech development. In fact, rehabilitation is the longest and most difficult period.
Problems of cochlear implantation in Ukraine. One of the main problems isthe cost of cochlear implantation, which includes diagnostic examination, surgery and correction after surgery. In Ukraine, the price of one implant is about 30 thousand. euro. However, it is possible to conduct the operation with funding from targeted programs from the state budget. Referral of patients to state-level medical facilities can be obtained from the regional health department. The main problems of public funding are: a long and endless queue for a free implant, the lack of modern centers for patients and the lack of full-fledged postoperative rehabilitation.But despite the difficulties, cochlear implant specialists have hundreds of patients who have a real chance to return to an active lifestyle in which the world of sounds is a common thing.