Early Hearing Detection and Intervention: Timely Diagnosis, Timely Management
Findlen, Ursula M.; Hounam, Gina M.; Alexy, Emily; Adunka, Oliver F.
Ear and Hearing, August 2018
This study examined how three clinical practice changes affected age at diagnosis: 1) Using Kalman-weighted signal averaging for ABR assessment, 2) Using a tone burst-prioritized protocol for assessment, and 3) Expediting the initial visit for infants.
The 1-3-6 guideline for clinical service delivery for infants with hearing loss was recommended by the Joint Commission on Infant Hearing (JCIH) in 2007. This guideline recommended that all infants should have a hearing screening by one month, and then by three months, a diagnostic assessment should occur. By six months, there should be enrolment into early intervention services.
Results of this investigation suggest that the technology used for assessment, clinical protocol, and timing of assessment of infants can impact the timeline for diagnosis and treatment of congenital hearing impairment.
Regarding the technology used for assessments, Kalman-weighted signal averaging ABRs may decrease the age at hearing determination for infants. Two factors decreased across the study time period: 1) The need for multiple tests to confirm diagnosis due to limited data obtained at initial evaluation and 2) difficulty testing due to limited infant sleep duration. Both of these factors can be improved by using Kalman-weighted signal averaging, which enhanced data collection efficiency when compared with conventional methods.
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More information about Integrity™ and Kalman-weighted signal averaging ABR assessments:
SOAP™ Adaptive Processing is a patented noise-reducing algorithm, based on Kalman Weighted Averaging, which cleans electrophysiological signals and ensures exceptional response detection.
Clinical Benefits
- Clear waveforms in less time
- Better handling of myogenic artifacts
- Eliminates the need to adjust gain
- No signal clipping or signal saturation
- No rejection artifact setting
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Watch full video: Integrity™: ABR Introduction