{
  "id": 3588379,
  "title": "Study supports earlier access to cochlear implants for children with hearing loss",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/study-supports-earlier-access-to-cochlear-implants-for-children-with",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-26T21:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-earlier-access-cochlear-implants-children.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A new study led by researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago suggests that children with severe hearing loss may benefit from cochlear implants at younger ages and under broader eligibility criteria than previously recognized. The findings, published in The Laryngoscope, could lead to expanded FDA indications for MED-EL cochlear implants, increasing access for infants as young as 7 months old and for children whose hearing aids do not provide enough benefit. The study found that most children experienced meaningful improvements in hearing and listening skills within a year after receiving a cochlear implant, with positive outcomes seen in both babies younger than 12 months old and children with residual hearing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}