Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of different testing times on the automated auditory brainstem response(AABR)results in infants. Methods Ninety-seven infants were assigned to the following groups: group A(60 ears in 30 infants, normal hearing), group B(60 ears in 33 infants, mild hearing loss), and group C(60 ears in 34 infants, moderate to profound hearing loss). AABR testing times of 60 s and 600 s were employed in all three groups. The consistency of AABR results in groups A, B, and C were evaluated by the kappa consistency test. The t-test and one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)were used to compare the time required among the three groups. Results The results showed a concordance of κ=1.000,0.854,and 0.896, respectively. The times required for actual screening in group A were 17.82 ±7.99 s and 26.73 ±75.48 s, with no significant difference(P=0.328). The times required for actual screening in groups B and C were 60 s with a testing time of 35.62±20.04 s and 54.15±11.92 s, were 600 s with a testing time of 239.05±277.69 s and 481.63±228.51 s; the time required for each ear was significantly shorter than the testing time(P<0.001). With the same time settings, there was a significant difference among the three groups(P<0.001), and the time required for testing increased with the increase in hearing loss. Conclusions Setting the AABR testing time at 60s had no effect on the results, indicating that the testing time can be reduced while maintaining the same screening efficiency and quality.

Key words: Testing time, Infant, Automated auditory brainstem response