Otoacoutic Emission Testing in Preterm and Term Sick Newborns: A Comparative Analysis

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Audiology
• Pediatric audiology

Background:

• Cochlear hearing loss is a common issue in both term and preterm newborns, stemming from various pathologies.
• Otoacoustic emission (OAE) and auditory brainstem responses are standard newborn hearing screening methods.
• OAE is preferred for its speed, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility compared to auditory brainstem responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in sick newborns, including both term and preterm infants, across different pathological conditions.
• To determine if there are significant differences in OAE results between term and preterm sick newborns.
• To evaluate the impact of various comorbidities on OAE screening outcomes in sick neonates.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study was conducted over three months in a tertiary care hospital's Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU).
• All sick newborns admitted to the SNCU during the study period underwent otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing.
• Results were analyzed using the Chi-square test (test of independence) to compare term and preterm infants.

Main Results:

• Among 640 sick newborns (184 preterm), 'refer' rates on OAE varied with pathologies like birth asphyxia, septicaemia, hyperbilirubinemia, meningitis, and congenital anomalies.
• The incidence of 'refer' results on OAE testing increased with co-morbidities in both term and preterm infants.
• No statistically significant difference (p=0.85) was found in OAE results between term and preterm sick newborns, despite slightly higher 'refer' rates in preterm infants with comorbidities.

Conclusions:

• Otoacoustic emission (OAE) screening is a viable method for assessing hearing in sick newborns, regardless of gestational age.
• The presence of comorbidities significantly impacts OAE results, leading to higher 'refer' rates in both term and preterm infants.
• Preterm sick newborns do not exhibit a statistically increased incidence of hearing impairment compared to term sick newborns based on OAE results.