This information can be useful in considering cochlear implants. “We’ll have a much lower threshold. As soon as that other ear starts showing a hearing loss … we’ll start that cochlear implant discussion a little earlier,” he said. “It’s probably easier to rehabilitate that child with one ear implant in while there’s still some functional hearing in the other ear, rather than wait until the other ear completely bottoms out.”
Gene mutations and codeine. There is an FDA black box warning for codeine prescriptions for children under the age of nine. Even a typical dose of codeine, which the body converts to morphine, can be overmetabolized, causing a level of morphine in the serum that can suppress the respiratory system.
Physicians can now test for genetic variants that carry a predisposition for this overmetabolizing, Dr. Choo said, so patients, especially young children, can be tested before they are prescribed narcotic pain medications, to minimize risks of overdose and respiratory suppression.
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