Proportion of Hearing Impairment in High - Risk Neonates in a Tertiary Care Centre

The prevalence of hearing impairment is higher among high risk neonates. This study aimed to determine the proportion of hearing impairment in neonates admitted to a NICU with identified risk factors. A prospective observational study was conducted on 567 neonates, using Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) as the initial screening tool, followed by Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) for those with abnormal OAE results. The study found a 2.3 incidence of hearing impairment with significant associations observed with craniofacial anomalies, a family history of congenital hearing impairment, and sepsis.