[Automated infant auditory screening using the Natus-ALGO 2e in the NICU]

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neonatal Care
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Early detection of hearing impairment in neonates is crucial for timely intervention.
• Automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) screeners offer potential for faster and more efficient hearing assessments.
• The Natus-ALGO 2e utilizes a template-matching algorithm for pass-refer outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance of the Natus-ALGO 2e automated ABR screener with conventional ABR methods.
• To evaluate the clinical usefulness of the Natus-ALGO 2e in a neonatal intensive care unit setting.
• To identify potential discrepancies between the automated screener and conventional ABR, particularly in high-risk infants.

Main Methods:

• The Natus-ALGO 2e was used to screen 202 ears of 101 neonates (mean conceptual age 40.4 weeks).
• A subset of 60 ears from 30 high-risk infants underwent both Natus-ALGO 2e and conventional ABR testing.
• Screening was performed during natural sleep, with an average time of 2 minutes 58 seconds per infant.

Main Results:

• The Natus-ALGO 2e passed 97 cases (both ears), referred 3 cases (both ears), and had 1 case (one ear referred).
• In high-risk infants, 53/60 ears passed the Natus-ALGO 2e, while conventional ABR initially failed 14/53 of these.
• Follow-up ABR in the discrepant group showed normal results in 11 ears and improved thresholds/latencies in 3 ears; 7 ears initially referred by both methods had 3 normalize on retest.

Conclusions:

• The Natus-ALGO 2e is a useful and rapid tool for infant hearing screening in neonates.
• Discrepancies between Natus-ALGO 2e and conventional ABR were noted in high-risk infants.
• Retesting with conventional ABR is recommended for high-risk infants, even if they pass the Natus-ALGO 2e, to ensure accurate diagnosis.