Expanding the Role of Educational Audiologists After a Failed Newborn Hearing Screening: A Quality Improvement Study

Purpose Lack of timely and proximal access to diagnostic hearing evaluation using auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing hampers the effectiveness of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs in the United States. This study measured the impact of a state-based quality-improvement (QI) project that provided diagnostic ABR equipment and training to educational audiologists distributed throughout Iowa in regional special education centers. Method We used de-identified administrative data generated by the state EHDI program to analyze markers of access to early hearing health care for infants in a preproject condition (“Baseline”) compared to the implementation of diagnostic ABRs at the regional special education centers (“QI Project”). Results Our findings revealed that the QI Project was associated with improvements in timeliness of first hearing evaluation, distance traveled for first hearing evaluation, and likelihood of receiving on-guideline audiology care during the first hearing evaluation. Conclusions Following the onset of the QI Project, infants and their families had greater access to initial hearing evaluation after failed newborn hearing screening. This improvement could have cascading effects on timeliness of later intervention among those with confirmed permanent childhood hearing loss.

Total Endoscopic Transcanal Cartilage Myringoplasty: A Prospective Study

Introduction Middle ear surgeries, including myringoplasty, have increasingly utilized endoscopes as an adjunct to or as a replacement for the operative microscope. Objectives The objective of the present study was to evaluate the graft uptake rate and to evaluate the hearing results. Methods This is a prospective study. We have analyzed 139 patients who underwent surgery for chronic otitis media (COM) of the mucosal type. All of the surgeries were performed exclusively under total endoscopic transcanal approach using tragal cartilage as graft, underlay technique. We have evaluated the postoperative graft uptake and performed a hearing evaluation at 6 weeks, at 12 weeks, and at 6 months. Results During the study period, 139 patients were included, out of which 13 were lost to follow-up; therefore, only 126 patients were assessed. All of the cases were performed under total endoscopic approach. As for the surgical outcome at the postoperative otoscopy, 3 cases had initial uptake at 3 months and failed later; therefore, complete closure of the perforation was observed in 97.6% (n = 123) of the patients 6 months after the intervention.Four patients presented with preoperative anacusis; therefore, only 122 patients were included for hearing evaluation. The preoperative air conduction threshold (ACT) and airbone gap (ABG) were 43.34 ± 11.53 and 24.73 ± 7.89, respectively.Postoperatively, the ACT and ABG closure were 28.73 ± 15.75 and 11.91 ± 8.41, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion The endoscopic approach for myringoplasty offers excellent visualization; avoids postaural approach, enables a faster recovery, requires less hospital stay, with excellent graft closure rate and improved functional outcomes.