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Risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss in extremely premature infants
Author(s) -
LESLIE GI,
KALAW MB,
BOWEN JR,
ARNOLD JD
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1995.tb00818.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sensorineural hearing loss , gestational age , hearing loss , neonatal intensive care unit , conductive hearing loss , incidence (geometry) , pediatrics , low birth weight , anesthesia , pregnancy , audiology , physics , biology , optics , genetics
Objective: To identify potentially preventable risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in extremely premature infants. Methodology A case control study of survivors with gestational age (GA) <28 weeks or birthweight (BW) <1000 g using data collected prospectively in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit database. Each subject with bilateral SNHL >40dB was matched according to GA, BW and sex with two controls who had neither sensorineural nor conductive hearing loss. Results Infants with SNHL had increased mean (±s.d.) days ventilated (53 ± 21 vs 37±23 days, P = 0.006) and in oxygen (107±44 vs 69±28 days, P = 0.02) compared with controls. The risk for SNHL was increased for infants who spent >90 days in oxygen (OR 4.0 [95% Cl 1.1‐15.6]), had maximum FiO 2 >0.90 (5.6 [1.2‐26.9]), minimum plasma Na <125mmol/L (5.6 [1.1‐27.8] or maximum pH >7.60 (5.6 [1.1‐89.0]). Neither maximum serum bilirubin nor exposure to ototoxic drugs was associated with SNHL. Conclusions: Avoidance of severe hyponatraemia and extreme alkalosis, as well as use of surfactant to minimize the severity of hyaline membrane disease, may result in a decreased incidence of SNHL in extremely premature infants.