Feasibility of Acupuncture to Induce Sleep for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response Testing
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Published on: December 22, 2016
Nicole Holmer1, Elizabeth Artola2, Erin Christianson3
1Division of Audiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, WA.
Insights
Acupuncture effectively induces sleep for pediatric Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) testing, proving safe, cost-efficient, and acceptable to parents and audiologists as an alternative to anesthesia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Integrative Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) testing is crucial for pediatric hearing evaluations.
- General anesthesia is often required for children unable to complete behavioral audiologic evaluations, posing potential risks.
- Acupuncture is explored as a less invasive alternative to induce sleep for diagnostic procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of acupuncture for inducing sleep in children undergoing diagnostic BAER testing.
- To evaluate parental and audiologist acceptance of acupuncture as an alternative to anesthesia for BAER.
- To compare the cost-effectiveness of BAER with acupuncture versus anesthesia.
Main Methods:
- A prospective feasibility study conducted at Seattle Children's Hospital from August 2015 to December 2018.
- Inclusion of 31 pediatric patients, divided into medically complex (Cohort I) and non-medically complex (Cohort II) groups.
- Data collection focused on BAER thresholds obtained, sleep indicators, acceptability, and cost comparison.
Main Results:
- Acupuncture successfully induced sleep in 81% of pediatric patients across both cohorts.
- Complete BAER test results were achieved in 48% of participants.
- High satisfaction rates (87%) were reported by parents and audiologists, with no adverse safety events. Acupuncture was also found to be less costly than anesthesia.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture is an effective, safe, and cost-efficient method for inducing sleep for BAER testing in pediatric patients.
- This approach facilitates earlier detection of hearing status and avoids anesthesia-related risks.
- Acupuncture is a well-accepted alternative to anesthesia for BAER procedures among parents and audiologists.
Abstract:
Purpose Brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing is often performed under general anesthesia for children unable to complete behavioral audiologic evaluation. Alternatively, acupuncture treatment may be considered appropriate for BAER. Reports of acupuncture treatment in pediatric patients are scarce but are needed to demonstrate effectiveness. This study had 2 main objectives: (a) to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of acupuncture to achieve sleep to perform diagnostic BAER testing in medically complex (Cohort I) and nonmedically complex (Cohort II) children and (b) to assess acceptability to parents and audiologists of acupuncture as an alternative to anesthesia for BAER testing. Method A prospective feasibility study at Seattle Children's Hospital Outpatient Audiology Clinic from August 2015 through December 2018 was performed. A total of 31 pediatric patients were included. The median age for Cohort I was 29 months (interquartile range: 19-37 months), and the median age for Cohort II was 25.5 months (interquartile range: 16-32 months). Variables included number of BAER thresholds obtained, sleep indicators, and acceptability. The cost of BAER with acupuncture and the cost of BAER under anesthesia were compared. Results Acupuncture treatment effectively contributed to an adequate sleep state to obtain BAER results for most patients in both cohorts. Across cohorts, most patients (81%) fell asleep after acupuncture treatment. Complete test results were obtained in 48% of patients. Audiologists and parents reported high satisfaction rates with this procedure (87%). There were no adverse safety effects. Acupuncture treatment was less costly than anesthesia for BAER testing. Conclusions Acupuncture to induce sleep for BAER testing is effective, safe, and cost-efficient in small samples of medically and nonmedically complex pediatric patients. This procedure allowed earlier detection of hearing status and avoided potential adverse effects of anesthesia. Audiologists and parents reported that acupuncture treatment was an acceptable alternative to anesthesia for the BAER procedure.
