Risk for ABR abnormalities in the nursery

The records of 1087 full- and pre-term infants with normal hearing were reviewed for auditory brain-stem response (ABR) abnormalities. Subjects were classified according to various complications common to the newborn. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to determine the risk of incurring ABR deviations associated with specific diagnoses in the nursery. Infants exposed to cocaine in utero and those with neurological signs or demonstrable brain anomalies were 4-5 times more likely to exhibit deviant ABRs. The synergistic effects of selected predictor variables further increased the risk for abnormal responses depending on gestational age and type of disorder. These results suggest subtle neurologic influences persisting at the time of discharge.