1000 Implants

Saint Luke’s Midwest Ear Institute has performed its 1000th cochlear implant operation. The Kansas City, Missouri facility has been in operation since 1980. Charles Luetje performed the procedure on 73-year-old Dan Neuenswander. He received a new hybrid implant as part of a national clinical trial. It's smaller than a traditional implant, and inserted only partway into the cochlea, replacing high pitches while leaving the patient’s natural low-pitch hearing intact.