To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - AAO: Lengthy Mechanical Ventilation Increases Risk Of Hearing Loss In Newborns URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/133FB2.htm Doctor's Guide September 30, 1999
By Andrew Bowser Special to DG News
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- September 30, 1999 -- Neonates who need lengthy mechanical ventilation have a greater risk for sensorineural hearing loss compared with neonates who require shorter rounds of mechanical ventilation, a new study suggests.
Investigators at Children's Memorial Medical Center, Chicago, IL, reviewed the medical records of 77 survivors of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) managed between October 1986 and December 1993. All the patients underwent an initial hearing screening and had a follow-up behavioral audiogram.
Senorineural hearing loss occurred in 13 patients (25.5 percent) in the ECMO group, consistent with previous studies suggesting a 2.5 to 60 percent incidence of sensorineural hearing loss among neonates that survive ECMO.
In this new study, hearing loss was not related to simply being on ventilation. Instead, a multivariate analysis showed a significant difference in mean time on ventilator (801 +/- 455 versus 390 +/- 312 hours) and total time of hyperventilation before ECMO (65 +/- 63 hours versus 29 +/- 22 hours). Of all risk factors analyzed, only those two were significantly associated with hearing loss, according to Dr. Gregory Bussell, who presented the data at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, in New Orleans, LA.
"The more time children receive mechanical ventilation, the greater the likelihood of sensorineural hearing loss," she said. "The physiologic reason for this finding is likely multifactorial and will require further research." He suggested centers specializing in neonatal care should develop protocols for long-term audiologic follow-up, regardless of whether ECMO intervention is needed for survival. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.