Abstract
The aim was to describe the outcome of neonatal hearing screening (NHS) and audiological diagnosis in neonates in the NICU. The sample was divided into Group I: neonates who underwent NHS in one step and Group II: neonates who underwent a test and retest NHS. NHS procedure was automated auditory brainstem response. NHS was performed in 82.1% of surviving neonates. For GI, referral rate was 18.6% and false-positive was 62.2% (normal hearing in the diagnostic stage). In GII, with retest, referral rate dropped to 4.1% and false-positive to 12.5%. Sensorineural hearing loss was found in 13.2% of infants and conductive in 26.4% of cases. There was one case of auditory neuropathy spectrum (1.9%). Dropout rate in whole process was 21.7% for GI and 24.03% for GII. We concluded that it was not possible to perform universal NHS in the studied sample or, in many cases, to apply it within the first month of life. Retest reduced failure and false-positive rate and did not increase evasion, indicating that it is a recommendable step in NHS programs in the NICU. The incidence of hearing loss was 2.9%, considering sensorineural hearing loss (0.91%), conductive (1.83%) and auditory neuropathy spectrum (0.19%).
Highlights
Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) have experienced great development in the last 20 years
The exclusion criteria were neonates who stayed less than 48 hours in the NICU and those with defects of auricles, which prevented the performance of AABR, and infants born in another hospital of the city, who died or who have not completed all stages of the study
The Group I (GI) consisted of 488 newborns (NB) and Group II (GII) consisted of 441 NB
Summary
Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) have experienced great development in the last 20 years. The mortality rate of highrisk newborn infants has gradually decreased as medical science has advanced. One of the most important health indicators that showed improvement was the reduction in infant mortality rate [1]. Neonatal morbidity associated with severe asphyxia, severe infection, congenital anomalies, and severe respiratory distress results in delayed death or serious sequels [1]. Newborns who resist neonatal complications become prone to manifest deviations in development, including peripheral and/or central hearing impairment. The incidence of bilateral hearing loss in this population is estimated at two to five of every 100 newborns, much higher than that of the low-risk population whose prevalence is 1 to 3/1000 [2]
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