Results of the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mexico city

Abstract

Introduction: Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) includes as its main objective, that all Newborns (NB) receive an audiological evaluation during their first month of life.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of hearing loss in a population of healthy NB in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City.

Material and methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was designed. The period was from October 1, 2011 to May 15, 2019. UNHS was performed with a flowchart in three phases using Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions and Brainstem auditory evoked potentials. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: 14,000 NB were evaluated, 28,000 ears. Gender was distributed in n = 7038 (50.3%) males and n = 6962 (49.7%) females. The mean age at the time of the first UNHS study was 48.3 ± 22.2 days. Hearing loss was confirmed in n = 31 (0.22%) NB, in 20 (64%) of the cases with hearing loss there were no documented audiological risk factors.

Conclusions: The prevalence of hearing loss was 2.2 per 1000 NB in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico City. Diagnosis and early habilitation of hearing loss in NB constitute quality indicators in health care and guarantee the best prognosis for NB with hearing loss.

Keywords: Hearing loss; México; Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions; Universal neonatal hearing screening.