Friday, May 30, 1997
Hospital screens newborns for hearing problems
By ANISSA CAMP / Abilene Reporter-News
A mother's voice can soothe a fussy infant, but only if the
baby can hear her.
On Wednesday, Hendrick Medical Center began screening newborns
for possible hearing problems. The program began in conjunction
with The Sounds of Texas Project started by the Hearing Health
Institute.
"Statistics tell us that two in 1,000 births will have
significant, permanent hearing loss," said Susan Atchison,
director of Hendrick Hearing HealthCare.
Early detection is important because of brain development,
Atchison said, explaining, "Babies start speech, language,
and cognitive development at birth."
Mike Waters, president of Hendrick Health System said 320,000
babies are born each year in Texas, but only five percent receive
hearing screening.
Dr. Terese Finitzo, executive director of the Hearing Health
Institute, said the organization's goal is to have 85 percent
of newborns screened by the year 2000.
Infants are screened 12 hours after birth by placing a soft
probe tip into a sleeping baby's ear and sending a sound to stimulate
the inner ear. The sound bounces back and a computer reads the
data.
If the infant fails the test, and 20 percent do, then a different
test is given, measuring brain waves. Only one percent fail this
test.
Reasons for failing the first test range from debris in the
ear canal to a build up of fluid, which is why the second test
is in place, Atchison said.
If an infant fails the second test, parents are notified and
they set up an appointment to bring the baby back for more tests.
Since the program started Wednesday, six infants have been
screened and all passed the test. Now, every infant born at Hendrick
will be screened at no extra cost to the parents. For babies not
born at Hendrick, screening costs $25. Appointments can be set
up by calling 670-2134 or 1-800-259-HEAR.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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