Sound advice for infants
Newborns should be tested for hearing problems more than once before leaving the hospital, a new study has found, because initial tests may falsely indicate auditory problems, resulting in parental anxiety and costly follow-up evaluations later.
A four-year study at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas -- whose 17,000 annual births make it the largest single birthing center in the U.S. -- found that between 2.4% and 4.7% of newborns were initially diagnosed with hearing problems after just one test. When a second test was given prior to discharge, the tests were much more accurate, with just 0.5% to 1% of the infants appearing to have auditory problems. About half of those infants were found to have actual hearing problems in follow-up diagnostic tests done within 10 days of discharge.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 24, 2005 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday February 24, 2005 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 74 words Type of Material: Correction
Infants’ hearing -- An article in the Feb. 7 Health section about a study recommending that newborns be given a hearing test before leaving the hospital said California does not mandate auditory testing of newborns, although about two-thirds of newborns born in California are screened. California mandates newborn auditory screening in acute-care hospitals that receive state funding from the California Children’s Services program, which account for about two-thirds of the hospitals in the state.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday February 28, 2005 Home Edition Health Part F Page 8 Features Desk 1 inches; 63 words Type of Material: Correction
Hearing tests -- An article in the Feb. 7 Health section said that California does not mandate auditory testing on newborns, although about two-thirds of newborns born in California are screened. In fact, California mandates newborn auditory screening in acute care hospitals that receive state funding from the California Children’s Services program, which account for about two-thirds of the hospitals in the state.
Many states mandate auditory testing on newborns. (California does not, although an estimated two-thirds of infants are screened.) If problems are found early enough, hearing aids or cochlear implants can help avert potential development delays.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School who performed the study found that temporary debris in the external ear canal or middle-ear fluid often caused the false positives. The study appeared in the January edition of Pediatrics.
