Universal hearing screening for neonatal intensive care unit infants : a retrospective study comparing results of Automated Auditory Brainstem Response and presence of risk factors for hearing loss with audiological assessment results

• Main Author: Zakaria, Nur 'Azzah
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: RF Otorhinolaryngology; RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/26620/1/MASCO_Booklet_-_IREP.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/26620/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Objective: Implementation of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Royal Children Hospital (RCH) by the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP) provided an opportunity for Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) screening results to be compared with formal audiological assessment results. This study aimed to ascertain the performance of risk factors for hearing loss in relation to detecting permanent hearing loss as the risk factors available in other studies showed large variability. Design: In this retrospective study, 191 subjects were admitted to the NICU between 1 July 2005 and 31 December 2005. All relevant data was retrieved from the medical records and VIHSP database into data forms. The following risk factors were studied: number of days in NICU, gestation week, birth weight, APGAR score at 5 minutes, meningitis-encephalitis, in utero infaction, craniofacial abnormality, surgery, other diagnosis, mechanical ventilation, neurological insults, hyperbilirubinemia with exchange transfusion, syndrome associated with hearing loss, use of aminoglycosides, use of diuretics in combination with aminoglycosides and family history of congenital hearing loss. Results: Using Chi-square analysis, numbers of days in NICU, mechanical ventilation, neurological insults and hyperbilirubinemia with exchange transfusion showed significant association with referral for immediate audiological assessment in infants with passed AABR screening. Gestation less than 37 weeks, birth weight less than 1500 grams, surgery, other diagnosis, use of aminoglycosides and use of diuretics in combination with aminoglycosides showed no significant associations with the referral for immediate audiological assessment. Conclusion: The risk factors profile for NICU population at the RCH was number of days in NICU, mechanical ventilation, neurological insults and hyperbilirubinemia with exchange transfusion. As a significant number of infants who passed hearing screening were not referred for immediate audiological assessment, it raised possibility that presence of multiple risk factors can be one of the factors that influenced the referral.