Abstract
Background: This study examined hearing screening referral rates over a three-year period, including testing performed pre-pandemic (2019) and during the first two years (2020 and 2021) of the onset of the spread of COVID-19.
Methods: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of 8,130 hearing screening referral records from 2019 – 2021, obtained from a large regional level II trauma center. These records were generated from the universal hearing screening process which utilized automated auditory brainstem response devices.
Results: There was no significant change in the number of infants screened for hearing loss and hearing screening outcomes between the pre-pandemic and pandemic years. A significant portion of infants born in this hospital were premature. A significant portion of infants born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy were premature. There was no statistically significant finding for the referral rate of babies born to mothers who reported COVID-19 positivity during pregnancy when compared to babies whose mothers did not report such exposure.
Conclusion: COVID-19 during pregnancy may not have a significant negative effect on overall newborn hearing screening outcomes. However, infants born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy can be premature and those premature infants did demonstrate higher referral rates.
Recommended Citation
Ankmnal Veeranna, S. A. Marx, C. G. Choi, H. White, C. & Ward, K. (2023). A Retrospective Analysis of Hearing Screening Outcomes in Infants Whose Mothers were COVID-19 Positive during Pregnancy. Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, 8(2), 34-38.
Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol8/iss2/6
