The 1077 MADSEN AccuScreen OAE Newborn Hearing Screening Device is a portable, lightweight, handheld, battery-operated newborn hearing screening device that uses probes with either tone (TE) or clicks stimulus (DP). 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 who are awake.
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 a newborn hearing screening.
OAE testing is often the first choice because of minimal patient prep time and associated expenses (no electrodes). However, the reference rate can be higher with OAE screening due to vernix in the ear canal or middle ear fluid, which is sometimes present at birth and can clog the probe. In such cases, a repeat OAE test is recommended in a few days or an ABR which is less sensitive to vernix and middle ear fluid can be conducted.
