2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| Hearing Screening Methods and Outcomes for Infants Born to COVID-Positive Mothers at a Large Academic Medical Center
Hearing Screening Methods and Outcomes for Infants Born to COVID-Positive Mothers at a Large Academic Medical Center
The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States in early 2020 introduced challenges for birth hospitals to perform newborn hearing screenings safely. In fact, many newborn screening programs were forced to shut down due to safety concerns, thus, challenging the mandate of completing screenings prior to hospital discharge (JCIH, 2019). Yet, it is unknown if maternal COVID infection increases the risk an infant will have hearing loss, increasing the importance of performing screenings. The Audiology Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center implemented an inpatient remote method for screening babies born to COVID-19 positive mothers via automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) hearing screening. This screening method was implemented to reduce staff exposure to the virus and the use of personal protective equipment. More than 50 babies born to COVID-positive mothers were screened utilizing this remote method from April to December 2020. Additionally, babies born to COVID-positive mothers were screened via a traditional AABR method from January to September 2021. The screening results of both groups were compared to the traditional AABR hearing screening results of neonates born to COVID-negative mothers during the same period.
Our study questions were (1) Are infants born to COVID-positive mothers at greater risk of hearing loss than infants born to COVID-negative mothers? and, (2) Did our remote hearing screening procedure result in a greater number of false-positive or false-negative findings than our traditional screening approach? Preliminary findings indicate a higher inpatient hearing screening fail rate for the neonates born to COVID-positive mothers. This poster will describe those results and the results of follow-up outpatient screening of those babies. In addition, details of the alternative screening method that was implemented during the early months of the pandemic for babies born to COVID-positive mothers will be presented.
- Describe the challenges of providing hearing screening during a pandemic
- Understand the effect COVID-19 may have on newborn hearing screening results
- Appreciate an alternative method for completing newborn hearing screening
Presentation:
3353554_15035BrittanyDay.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Brittany Day
(Primary Presenter,Co-Author), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, brittany.day@vumc.org;
Brittany Day, AuD, CCC-A is a pediatric audiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is the contracted Audiology Consultant to the Tennessee EHDI program. Her clinical specialties includes early hearing detection and intervention and electrophysiologic evaluation and management of medically complex infants and children. She previously directed the inpatient pediatric audiology and newborn hearing screening clinical program at VUMC. Brittany volunteers as the Tennessee Professional Mentor for the Student Academy of Audiology State Ambassador Program and as Clinical Director of the Tennessee Special Olympics Healthy Hearing Screening program.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Other financial benefit for Employment,Consulting from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Tennessee Department of Health.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Tennessee Department of Health.
Nature: Brittany Day receives a salary from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in part funded through a grant from Tennessee Department of Health.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Erin Picou
(Co-Author), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, erin.picou@vumc.org;
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ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Anne Marie Tharpe
(Co-Author), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, anne.m.tharpe@vanderbilt.edu;
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ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -