Ototacoustic Emissions-Based Hearing Assessment of Neonates in Tertiary Care Hospital
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Sunanda Bhoovarahan1, Harshavardhan N Reddy1
1Department of ENT, MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560054 India.
Insights
Neonatal hearing loss affects 8.85% of newborns. Key risk factors include maternal history and drug intake, highlighting the need for early screening to ensure proper development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Neonatal Care
Background:
- Hearing is crucial for infant development, including speech and language.
- Missed hearing loss in newborns can significantly impact long-term outcomes.
- Standard screening protocols are vital to detect hearing impairments early.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the prevalence of neonatal hearing loss.
- To identify significant risk factors associated with hearing loss in neonates.
- To assess the potential for missed cases without a screening protocol.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1559 neonates was evaluated at a tertiary care hospital.
- Detailed histories covering prenatal, natal, postnatal, and family factors were collected.
- A three-stage hearing testing protocol, including transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and brainstem evoked response audiometry, was employed.
Main Results:
- A total of 138 neonates (8.85%) were diagnosed with hearing loss.
- Significant risk factors identified include maternal history, drug intake, birth order, and place of delivery.
- Bivariate analysis confirmed maternal history, drug intake, and birth order as significant predictors (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of neonatal hearing loss is substantial (8.85%).
- Identifying and addressing risk factors is critical for early intervention.
- Further research is needed to establish the necessity of universal newborn hearing screening.
Abstract:
Hearing is a special sense needed for appropriate mental, speech and language development and academic performance. Even among normal babies, 50% of cases of hearing loss are missed out if screening protocol is not followed. In this study, we assess the hearing of all neonates born and brought to the tertiary care hospital, and also find out how many well babies with hearing loss would have been missed if this screening had not been done. Hence, the study aims to estimate the prevalence of neonatal hearing loss and study the associated risk factors. Neonates (N = 1559) attended the outpatient department of paediatrics were included. A detailed history of the neonates with special emphasis on prenatal, natal, postnatal, family history, and maternal risk factors were elicited. Three-stage hearing testing protocol was followed with transient evoked otoacoustic emission testing, a gold standard test for stage 1 and 2 and brainstem evoked response audiometry for stage 3. Of 1559 neonates, 138 had hearing loss. History of drug intake, order of the child, place of delivery and maternal history were the significant factors associated with hearing loss in neonates. Bivariate analysis revealed order of child, maternal history, and history of drug taken were the significant factors affecting the hearing loss in the neonates (P < 0.001). The prevalence of hearing loss was 8.85%. Early detection of hearing loss is essential for timely intervention and development of optimal communication skills. Further studies are required to decide the essentiality of Universal New-born hearing screening.
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