Shoaib Ahmed, Waqas M, Tahir Manzoor, Faisal Basheer.
Hearing Assessment with BERA in Infants who had Received Amikacin.
Pak J Otolaryngol Jan ;30(2):47-9.

OBJECTIVE : To assess the hearing levels in infants with Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) at the age of 6 months who had received Amikacin in neonatal period. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Otolaryngology , Head and Neck Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Quetta from 1st January 2008 to 30th June 2009. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 50 children born at CMH Quetta and kept in neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) who had received amikacin injections for 4 days or more were registered. They were given appointment for BERA testing after the age of 6 months. RESULTS: 30 cases showed profound degree of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). 10 cases showed severe degree of SNHL. 5 cases each had moderate & mild degree of SNHL. CONCLUSION: Amikacin causes SNHL in newborns, hence it should not be recommended for prolonged use of more than 4 days.

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