Wir überwinden Grenzen

Three-year-old patient receives second implant / Interventions have been part of clinical care for over 30 years

The 5,000th cochlear implant (CI) was implanted at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg on October 16, 2025 - a significant milestone in over 30 years of CI care in Freiburg. A CI is an electronic hearing system that directly stimulates the auditory nerve, enabling people with severe to complete hearing loss to hear. The operation was performed on three-year-old Leon*, who had already received his first CI at the age of one and a half. As the hearing in his second ear has continued to deteriorate in recent months, an implant has now been inserted there too. This will enable Leon to hear on both sides again in future.

"The 5,000th implant represents not just a number, but 5,000 individual stories of children, adolescents and adults who have been able to hear," says Prof. Dr. Antje Aschendorff, Section Head of the Implant Center Freiburg at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "This is particularly important for young children. After all, hearing is the basis for speech development and participation in everyday life."

"To experience how Leon hears, speaks and laughs - it's indescribable," says Leon's mother. "As his older brother also has a cochlear implant, we know how important early access to hearing is."

Many years of experience and dedicated support

Cochlear implant care at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has existed since 1993 and was established by Prof. Dr. Roland Laszig, former Medical Director of the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Since then, patients of all ages have been treated: from prematurely implanted babies and toddlers to elderly people over 90 years of age. "The cochlear implant not only improves hearing, but can also help people to remain mentally active and prevent loneliness or dementia," says Aschendorff.

Since 1995, the association "Taube Kinder lernen hören e.V. " has also been supporting families with hearing-impaired children. The association promotes education, early intervention, hearing and speech therapies as well as social projects related to hearing rehabilitation and accompanies many families on their way into the world of hearing.

What is the cochlear implant?

The cochlear implant consists of a microphone and speech processor behind the ear, a transmitter coil in the inner ear and the actual implant in the cochlea. The CI converts spoken words and other acoustic signals into electrical impulses. These impulses stimulate the auditory nerve in the cochlea. For children and adults who were born deaf or are severely hearing impaired, the cochlear implant provides access to acoustic perception for the first time.

Photo: Leon* together with his mother and Prof. Dr. Antje Aschendorff in the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. In future, the young patient will be able to hear on both sides again.

Image source: Medical Center - University of Freiburg

*Name changed