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Delayed-onset hearing loss in respiratory distress syndrome: case reports
1Division of Medical Audiology, Philadelphia Center for Health Care Sciences, PA 19104-4302.
Insights
Infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) who passed initial hearing screenings developed severe hearing loss later. Continued audiology monitoring is recommended for these children until age three.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Audiology
- Pediatric neurology
Background:
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a common neonatal condition.
- Early auditory brainstem response (ABR) screening is used to assess hearing in newborns.
- Neonatal follow-up programs aim to monitor infant development.
Observation:
- Two infants diagnosed with RDS underwent high-frequency jet ventilation and passed ABR screening at discharge.
- These infants showed no hearing loss in the first year of life.
- Both infants later developed severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss by 2.5 years of age.
Findings:
- The study identified a delayed onset of severe sensorineural hearing loss in infants with a history of RDS.
- Absence of other known risk factors (kidney failure, infections, genetics) suggests a link to RDS or its treatment.
- Lack of post-discharge audiology monitoring obscured the onset and progression of hearing loss.
Implications:
- Current audiology screening protocols may not detect all cases of hearing loss in infants with RDS.
- Frequent hearing monitoring until age three is recommended for infants diagnosed with RDS.
- Further research is needed to understand the relationship between RDS and delayed-onset hearing loss.
Abstract:
The pre-, peri-, and postnatal histories for two infants who suffered respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) are presented. Each infant was diagnosed with RDS within 24 hours after birth, placed on high-frequency jet ventilation, and passed auditory brainstem response (ABR) screening prior to hospital discharge. Both infants were enrolled in a neonatal follow-up program with no report of hearing loss during the first year of life. At 2.5 years of age, each infant was found to have severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Neither infant suffered kidney failure, rubella, cytomegalovirus, or genetic involvement. Audiologic monitoring after hospital discharge was not performed because each infant passed the ABR screen. Thus, the date of onset and/or progression of hearing loss are unknown. Until additional research findings are available, we recommend that the hearing of any infant diagnosed with RDS be monitored frequently until 3 years of age.