Guyanese baby receives cochlear implant in Hyderabad

The 9-month-old baby, Lavanya, who suffered profound hearing loss, has successfully undergone a complex cochlear implant surgery at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad. Baby Lavanya was born to parents Diveka Dhanraj and Satish Sakishnu of Indian origin settled in Guyana

Hyderabad: A 9-month-old baby girl from Guyana, the country on the northern coast of South America, who suffered profound hearing loss, has successfully undergone a complex cochlear implant surgery at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

The cochlear implant surgery for baby Lavanya, born to parents Diveka Dhanraj and Satish Sakishnu of Indian origin, was made possible through the efforts of the Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI), Sri Sathya Sai organization and ENT team of Apollo Hospitals.

---

The girl underwent the surgery on May 17 and is now recovering well and beginning her journey toward hearing and speech.

“Baby Lavanya was unable to develop speech or respond to sounds due to her condition. Further complications arose when tests revealed cochlear hypoplasia and an anomalous cochlea on the left side,” said Dr E C Vinay Kuamr, Head, ENT, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

The family explored options in Brazil, Venezuela, United States, and Canada, but financial constraints made treatment in these countries unattainable. The Sri Satya Sai organization in Guyana came to the rescue and connected the family to Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

Senior ENT surgeons Dr EC Vinaya Kumar, Dr K Rambabu, and Dr Jaswinder Singh Saluja, and implantation audiologist Dr I Srikanth were involved in the surgery.