Abstract:

Objective    To investigate the hearing screening situation of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and compare it with that of newborns in the well-baby nursery. Methods    Hearing screening was carried out in 927 newborns in the NICU and 16353 newborns in the well-baby nursery. All newborns were screened and re-screened with transient evoked otoacoustic emission. Positive cases were evaluated by a diagnostic audiology test. Results    28 cases of sensorineural deafness were founded in the NICU group, of which 11 had hyperbilirubinemias, 9 very low birth weight, 6 ischemic encephalopathy and 2 meningitis. The incidence rate of sensorineural deafness in the NICU group was 3.02% (28/927). There were 50 cases of sensorineural deafness in the wellbaby nursery group, of which 23 had intrauterine infection, 12 hyperbilirubinemias, 10 family history of hearing loss, 3 meningitis and 2 ototoxic drug contact history. The incidence rate of sensorineural deafness was 0.31% (50/16353). There was a significant difference between the two groups(P＜0.05). Conclusions    The incidence rate of sensorineural deafness is obviously higher in the NICU group than the wellbaby nursery group. Hyperbilirubinemias, very low birth weight and ischemic encephalopathy are the main risk factors in the NICU group. Intrauterine infection, hyperbilirubinemias and family history of hearing loss are the main risk factors in the well-baby nursery group. More attention should be paid to newborn hearing screening in the NICU.

Key words: Neonatal intensive care unit; Wellbaby nursery; Newborn hearing screening; Comparative study