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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Risk factors for elevation of ABR threshold in NICU-treated infants

Noriko Morimoto1, Hidenobu Taiji, Keiko Tsukamoto

  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan. morimoto-n@ncchd.go.jp

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|May 4, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, severe respiratory disease, or high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels face increased risk of childhood hearing impairment. Regular hearing checks are crucial for these high-risk infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Pediatric audiology
  • Risk factor analysis

Background:

  • Hearing impairment is a concern for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
  • Previous studies identified risk factors but lacked correlation strength data.
  • The relationship between NICU risk factors and childhood hearing deterioration needs clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the correlation between NICU risk factors and auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold changes in childhood.
  • To identify specific NICU risk factors associated with hearing impairment progression.

Main Methods:

  • One hundred one NICU infants with an initial ABR threshold of ≥50 dBnHL were retested at 20 months.
  • Multiple regression analysis assessed the impact of risk factors on ABR threshold changes.

Main Results:

  • Of 101 infants, 9.0% had an initial ABR threshold of ≥50 dBnHL.
  • Follow-up showed 6.9% experienced a significant ABR threshold elevation.
  • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, severe respiratory disease, and high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels correlated with ABR threshold elevation.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of NICU infants with initial ABR abnormalities show worsening hearing thresholds in childhood.
  • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, severe respiratory disease, and elevated CRP are key predictors of hearing deterioration.
  • Targeted, periodical hearing examinations are recommended for NICU infants with these identified risk factors.
Abstract

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