NICE update: more people eligible for cochlear implants

Cochlear implants for children and adults with severe to profound deafness (TA566 ) updates the previous guidance on cochlear implants. The guidance has been updated after a review of the criteria for defining severe to profound deafness and for assessing adequate benefit from acoustic hearing aids.

As a result, more people will be eligible for cochlear implants. Severe to profound deafness is now recognised as only hearing sounds louder than 80dB HL (decibels hearing loss) at two or more frequencies without hearing aids. A cochlear implant works by picking up sounds that are turned into electrical signals and are sent to the brain. This provides a sensation of hearing but does not restore hearing.

Currently around 1,260 people in England receive cochlear implants each year. These updated recommendations could lead to a 70% increase in that number to 2,150 people, once a steady state is reached in 2024/25. The annual cost of implementing this guidance is predicted to be around £28.6m at year three.

Five other technologies were recommended including Benralizumab for treating severe eosinophilic asthma (TA565) and Tisagenlecleucel for treating relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more systemic therapies (TA567).

On the guidelines front, neither guideline published Intrapartum care for women with existing medical conditions or obstetric complications and their babies (NG121) and the updated guideline Lung cancer: diagnosis and management are expected to lead to significant additional costs to implement.

Gary Shield is resource impact assessment manager at NICE