UK and US risk factors for hearing loss in neonatal intensive care unit infants.

Importance: Early detection and intervention of hearing loss may mitigate negative effects on children's development. Children who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as babies are particularly susceptible to hearing loss and risk factors are vital for surveillance.

Design, Setting And Participants: This single-centre retrospective cohort study included data from 142 inborn infants who had been admitted to the NICU in a tertiary regional referral centre.

Multiple congenital anomalies and adverse developmental outcomes are associated with neonatal intensive care admission and unilateral hearing loss.

Aim: To determine congenital and developmental outcomes of children with Unilateral Hearing Loss (UHL) who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Method: Retrospective, single-site study that followed 25 children with permanent congenital UHL a NICU admission to a NICU of Nottingham University Hospital. Birth and two-year developmental follow-up data were collected.