ABSTRACT
Universal newborn hearing screening [UNHS] was started in the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia [HUSM] in January 2003. To comply with international standards, we determined the outcome of the newborn hearing screening program for the first 5 years of its implementation, from January 2003 to December 2007. The program screened all infants who were delivered in HUSM. In a retrospective review, the outcomes in terms of coverage, prevalence of hearing impairment, referral rate for each screening, age at detection of hearing impairment and at hearing aid-fitting were analyzed. Ninety-eight percent of newborns were screened. The study included 16 100 randomly selected newborns. The initial screening referral rate was 25.5%. The prevalence of default for second and third screening was 33.9% and 40.7%, respectively. The mean [SD] age at detection of hearing impairment was 3.3 months [0.86]. The mean [SD] age at fitting of a hearing aid was 13.6 [4.8] months. The prevalence of hearing impairment was 0.09%. A newborn hearing screening program is an important tool for early diagnosis and treatment. Even though the prevalence of hearing impairment may be low, the problem needs to be addressed early as the development of infants requires normal hearing
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Infant, Newborn , Mass Screening , Retrospective Studies , Hearing Loss , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Hospitals, UniversityABSTRACT
To determine the outcome of laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty for the management of patients with snoring in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM). A retrospective review of patients who underwent LAUP with or without tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy under general anaesthesia between December 2003 to December 2006. Data was obtained from admission and follow-up records in the otorhinolaryngology clinic of USM Hospital (HUSM). A total of nineteen patients underwent procedure for the treatment of snoring. Majority of these patients presented with symptoms of loud snoring and daytime somnolence. The main operations performed were LAUP with or without tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. The justification for LAUP were overhanging and excessive uvula or soft palate, whereas for adenotonsillectomy were the hypertrophied adenoids and tonsils. On follow-up, most of the patients claimed improvement of snoring within the first 2 months post-operation. However, majority of them defaulted follow-up after that. One patient (AHI preoperatively was mild) was reviewed up to 8 months with no snoring. One patient (AHI was severe preoperatively and normal post operatively) remained in our follow-up was satisfied with the operation. Two patients continued to experience snoring post LAUP despite trial of non-surgical methods. The outcome of LAUP in our patients showed variable results. This showed that patient selection is very important to achieve good result in LAUP. Long-term follow-up is also essential to document the success for LAUP.