In July 2002, a cluster of bacterial meningitis (BM) cases was identified among European cochlear implant recipients (CIRs), prompting Health Canada to conduct a retrospective cohort study to determine the rate of BM infection among Canadian CIRs and to identify risk factors for acquiring BM.
A survey was mailed to 1,432 Canadian CIRs who had received implants during January 1995-July 2002 to assess occurrence of postimplant BM infection. Data collection included demographics, episodes of meningitis, and vaccination status.
A total of 1,024 (72%) surveys were completed. Median age of CIRs at implantation was 16 years (range: 7 months-81 years). Five (0.5%) cases of BM infection were reported (two pneumococcal, one meningococcal, and two of unknown etiology); one CIR died. Four cases occurred among children aged or =18 years and 2.9 among those aged