MADSEN AccuScreen ABR + OAE (TEOAE or DPOAE) combination Newborn Hearing Screening Device by Otometrics. The AccuScreen is a portable, lightweight, handheld, battery operated newborn hearing screening device. It offers a touch screen display with vibrant icons and intuitive navigation for ease of use to make testing easy, efficient and ideal for screening babies.
The ABR + OAE combination device has the ability to conduct both ABR and OAE screening and is often used as a two step protocol in hospitals to help reduce false positives and also for screening babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
What are OAEs?
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) measure hearing by placing a small probe into the ear canal that delivers a soft sound to the cochlea/inner ear. A cochlea that is functioning normally will create a tiny response or an “emission” that can be measured in the probe and recorded in the device as a “pass” or a “refer” (not pass). OAEs provide an objective measure of screening (meaning that no behavioral response is required) and is ideal for midwives performing home births. There are two types of OAEs used for screening; DPOAEs (distortion product otoacoustic emissions) and TEOAEs (transient evoked otoacoustic emissions). DPOAEs use tone stimulus whereas TEOAEs use a click stimulus. Both methods are widely used and equally acceptable as a standard of care for newborn hearing screening.
What is screening ABR?
Screening ABRs measure hearing by placing three electrodes on the head and neck to detect the nervous system’s response to sound stimulus. It is considered a more comprehensive measure as it screens from the ear canal to the brainstem. ABR offers two ways to deliver sound stimulus: via a probe placed in the ear or through a set of disposable ear couplers (EarHugs) placed over the ears. ABR is the recommended method for screening babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Which screening method is best to use?
OAE testing is often the first choice because of minimal patient prep time and associated expense (no electrodes or ear couplers). Because of vernix in the ear canal or middle ear fluid, which is sometimes present at birth and can clog the probe, a repeat OAE test is recommended or an ABR can be conducted which is less sensitive to vernix and middle ear fluid. Using this protocol can help to minimize the number of false positive results. The ABR + OAE configuration is often used as part of a two step protocol to help reduce false positives.
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