Abstract
Delayed intervention in hearing-impaired infants may diminish ultimate speech and language development. A program for identifying hearing-impairment using ABR was initiated for neonates in the intensive care nursery. Hearing in 81 neonates whose birth weights ranged from 800 to 3980 grams was tested using ABR. Infants were tested when they achieved a post-conceptional age of 34 weeks or within 1 week of birth. Normal binaural hearing (30 dB HL) was found in 64/81 (79%). Hearing abnormalities were detected in 17/81 (21%) and included: mild monaural hearing loss (no response at 30 dB) in 5 neonates (6.2%); mild binaural hearing loss in 5 other neonates (6.2%); moderate binaural hearing loss (no response at 40 dB) in 3 neonates (3.7%); moderately-severe or severe binaural hearing loss (no response at 60 dB) in 4 neonates (4.9%). The expected incidence of hearing loss in a normal nursery poulation is <1%. The high incidence of hearing loss observed in this study suggests that formal ABR be performed in the ICN prior to discharge.
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