UAE Study Shows Importance of Universal Hearing Screening
Although the incidence of sensorineural hearing loss among infants in the neonatal intensive unit (NICU) is higher than in normal infants, this study from the UAE illustrates the importance of implementing universal hearing screening programmes in both healthy neonates and high-risk newborns admitted to the NICU. Limiting the screening to the high-risk group would fail to identify healthy newborns with hearing deficit, which accounted for two-thirds of cases in this study.
The screening was done prior to infants’ discharge from the hospital. A Vivosonic Integrity™ V500 System was used for diagnostic ABR testing. Those infants who failed the initial screening were followed at monthly intervals at the audiology clinic and the ABR was repeated to confirm the final diagnosis of hearing deficit and to plan further management. All babies who were admitted to the NICU and passed the hearing test were given an appointment after 6 months for re-screening.
Even a mild and unilateral auditory deficit can lead to delay in the development of a child’s speech and language.
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With advanced noise-reduction technology, Integrity™ V500 provides fast, reliable ABR screening, even in the NICU and O.R. If the result is “Refer”, the same Integrity™ System can be used for follow-up re-screening and diagnostic testing, typically in one visit without the need for sedation.
Click image above to learn more about Integrity™ Newborn Hearing Screening