Aim: Social, emotional, cognitive and language development of infants is provided with early diagnosis of hearing deficit. Hearing deficit is reported with a rate of 1-6 in 1000 live births in healthy newborns, while it reaches up to 10-30 in 1000 live births in newborns with risk factors. We aimed to compile the results of the hearing screening program applied in our hospital.
Material and methods: The records of the hearing screening program were examined and the results were compiled by reaching the records of the patients who were found to have hearing deficit.
Results: Hearing test was applied in a total of 142 128 patients between 2005 and 2011. Hearing test was performed by evoked autoaucistic emission for two times in 26 690 of these patients and for three times in 2 412. A diagnosis of hearing deficit was made in 385 patients (0.27%) after application of ARB (Auditory Brainstem Response). The medical records of 171 of the patients who were referred for advanced investigations and treatment were obtained. 116 of these patients had a history of hospitalization in neonatal intensive care unit, while 55 patients had no history of hospitalization in neonatal intensive care unit. 49 of the patients had a gestational age below the 32(th) week and 122 had a gestational age above the 32(th) week. The median gestational age and birth weight values and ranges were found to be 35 (22-43) and 2 140 g (580-4 590 g), respectively. The risk factors included intrauterine growth retardation (n=24), multiple pregnancy (n=22), hyperbilirubinemia (n=74), blood exchange because of hyperbilirubinemia (n=7), sepsis (n=52), hypoglycemia (n=2), use of aminoglycoside and glycopeptide (n=99), use of furosemide (n=27), mechanical ventilation therapy (n=37), polycythemia (n=12), prenatal asphyxia (n=2), respiratory distress syndrome (n=45), chronic lung disease (n=11), surgery for retinopathy of prematurity (n=8) and hearing deficit in the mother or father (n=7).
Conclusions: In addition to the necessity of performing hearing screening in all newborns, infants with risk factors should be determined, hearing deficit should be screened with repeated hearing tests and social, emotional, cognitive and language development of the infant should be assured.
Keywords: Hearing screening; newborn; risk factors.