Failure to Clinically Predict NICU Hearing Loss

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) survivors demonstrate handicapping sensorineural hearing loss up to 50 times more frequently than normal newborns, yet little is known about the etiology of the hearing loss. Theoretically, accurate identification and triage of a particular infant based on a clini...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical pediatrics 1995-03, Vol.34 (3), p.138-145
Main Authors: Eavey, Roland D., Bertero, Maria do Carmo C., Thornton, Aaron R., Herrmann, Barbara S., Joseph, Janet M., Gliklich, Richard E., Krishnamoorthy, Kalpathy S., Todres, I. David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audiometry
Biological and medical sciences
Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation
Disorders
Forecasting
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - epidemiology
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - etiology
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - prevention & control
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
Medical sciences
Multivariate Analysis
Respiration, Artificial - adverse effects
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
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Summary:Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) survivors demonstrate handicapping sensorineural hearing loss up to 50 times more frequently than normal newborns, yet little is known about the etiology of the hearing loss. Theoretically, accurate identification and triage of a particular infant based on a clinical profile would be useful. Forty NICU graduates of The Massachusetts General Hospital were selected for a detailed retrospective chart review evaluating prenatal, perinatal, and NICU medical conditions and treatment. Twenty-three patients identified with hearing loss and 17 infants with normal hearing were compared clinically. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed on a subpopulation of patients (20 with hearing loss and 16 with normal hearing). A history of ventilation was associated with hearing loss (P=.0023), but this factor was not absolute. No other clinical parameters were convincingly linked to hearing loss. We conclude that reliance on risk factors is an inadequate clinical method to select a patient for a hearing test and that each NICU survivor deserves audiometric evaluation.
ISSN:0009-9228
1938-2707
DOI:10.1177/000992289503400304