Abstract: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a widely used screening method, mainly for determining the hearing threshold, as well as neurological assessment of the elements of hearing. A key requirement for a successful ABR test is that the subject should be idle, in order to minimize the background signals that lower the signal/noise ratio. A sedative, such as chloral hydrate, is employed as a mode of sedation especially in children, who are difficult to be kept idle throughout the test (especially so, if there are developmental defects, common among the subjects with neurological defects of hearing conduction). However, the need of sedatives in the test has been debated, given that intolerance or side-effects of the sedatives may outweigh the benefits of use, especially in children. It has been suggested that simple sleep deprivation on the prior night of the test might be sufficient to induce sleep among the child subjects during the test. The current study was aimed at comparing the ABR protocols among children with or without sedation at 60dBnHL for both left and right ears. The major factors being compared included the time consumed for each test and also the latency, intensity levels and overall morphology of wave V of ABR. Additionally, the hearing threshold was also determined. The study was conducted among 27 children between the age group of 6 months to 24 months. The two protocols were performed exclusively at two different time points. The results indicate that the assessment in the absence of sedation was as good as the similar results obtained in the presence of sedation, with respect to hearing threshold determination. Similarly there was no significant difference with respect to the wave V output parameters among the two conditions. However, the time consumed for each test was significantly more in the absence of sedation. Though the current study indicates that ABR may also be conducted in absence of sedation, further studies to evaluate the same may be necessary, given the low sample size and absence of a case-control study.
Keywords: ABR, Sedation, wave V, latency.
Title: A Doctor’s Dilemma: To Sedate or Not Sedate Subjects Undergoing ABR Measurements
Author: Dr. Abdurhman Alhumaizi, Dr. Abdullah N. Al Rasheedi, Dr. Abdulhakim Al Mutairi
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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