Abstract
BackgroundChildren with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental deficits, and the presence of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) may further lead to poor language skills acquisition and speech delays. Prevalence of SNHL in the general pediatric population is estimated to be 0.2% at birth to 0.35% during adolescence. Very few studies have attempted to estimate SNHL prevalence in children who have undergone congenital heart surgery.MethodsThis retrospective study aimed to estimate SNHL prevalence in children who underwent congenital heart surgery in our institution and were followed up in our high-risk pediatric cardiology clinics for four years from 2009 to 2013. Data were collected on demographics, preoperative variables, surgical variables, and post-operative variables.ResultsSNHL prevalence in asymptomatic, palliated/repaired CHD patients followed in our high-risk clinics and undergoing routine surveillance was 11.6% (20 of 172 patients with hearing impairment). SNHL prevalence was not statistically higher in single-ventricle patients (17.2%) compared to biventricular patients (14.7%). Inotropic score in the first 24 hours of postoperative period (p=0.05), lowest arterial PaO2 (p=0.003), duration of Lasix drip (p=0), and bolus dose in days (p=0.03) were all found to be statistically significant in the hearing-impaired group. However, using logistic regression, we identified no statistically significant predictors for hearing loss.ConclusionThe results suggest the need for routine audiology screening of all patients with complex CHD, especially those who have undergone neonatal cardiac repair/palliation at less than one year of age, irrespective of risk factors.
Highlights
Survival and life expectancy of children with congenital heart defects have dramatically increased in recent years due to advances in medical and surgical management strategies
sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) prevalence in asymptomatic, palliated/repaired congenital heart disease (CHD) patients followed in our high-risk clinics and undergoing routine surveillance was 11.6% (20 of 172 patients with hearing impairment)
The prevalence of SNHL in asymptomatic; palliated/repaired CHD patients followed in our high-risk clinics undergoing routine surveillance was 11.6% (20 with hearing impairment out of 172 patients)
Summary
Survival and life expectancy of children with congenital heart defects have dramatically increased in recent years due to advances in medical and surgical management strategies. Many studies have estimated the prevalence of SNHL in the premature neonate population and have identified several associated risk factors [4]. Very few studies have attempted to estimate the prevalence of SNHL in children who have undergone congenital heart surgery Of these studies, one old study estimated the prevalence to be 16% in CHD patients [6], and a recent study estimated the prevalence to be as high as 28.6% among childhood survivors after the Norwood/Sano operation only [7]. Very few studies have attempted to estimate SNHL prevalence in children who have undergone congenital heart surgery
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