Retrospective Analysis of Decreasing the Use of Anesthesia in Pediatric Audiology: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this article is to analyze outcomes of processes aimed at reducing the need for use of anesthesia in evaluating pediatric hearing loss.

A retrospective chart review was completed to assess how often a pediatric hearing evaluation was successful/not successful and auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing with anesthesia was avoided/required following review of orders for ABR testing with anesthesia.

A total of 30% of the patients referred for ABR with anesthesia successfully completed a pediatric hearing evaluation, therefore avoiding anesthesia. Male subjects and subjects with developmental delay were less likely to avoid testing with anesthesia. None of the subjects with a comorbidity of developmental delay completed a pediatric hearing evaluation successfully. Other comorbidities with low success rates were autism spectrum disorder and speech delay. No significant outcome differences were measured as a function of referral source.

Processes implemented in this study resulted in elimination of the need to use anesthesia to evaluate hearing in a large portion of patients referred. Success rates for avoiding anesthesia may vary depending on available resources, physician education, and population tested. Additional benefits of the described process include reduced stress on the health care system and families receiving services.