A cochlear implant is a sophisticated hearing aid which requires an operation. There are risks are associated with this as follows.
Infection is possible but antibiotics are given to reduce this.
Bleeding can occassionally occur with formation of a haematoma (blood clot) under the skin - during the operation every attempt is made to reduce this risk
Facial Palsy, which causes a weakness of one side of the face, rarely happens as the nerve function is monitored during surgery
Balance disturbance and tinnitus are problems that some patients already have - any balance problems or tinnitus related to surgery should soon settle
Device failure is rare, but if it occurs may require re-implantation of a new implant.
