Birth Anoxia and Hearing Aid It has been found that a major cause of cerebral palsy (CP) has been lack of oxygen available to a baby’s brain. A common medical term is used to label such lack of oxygen to brain – anoxia. A cerebral anoxia is absence of oxygen to the brain and can cause permanent damage to the child. In the past there was no cure to such a medical condition which can lead to a hearing impaired child from birth. However, an alternate experimental method of treatment has developed called Hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The child is put in a chamber of 100% oxygen. The aim is to flood the body system of the child with oxygen to immediately repair any oxygen related damage.
There are several tests which are carried out based on the diagnosis by the treating doctors who may include a CT scan of your child’s brain or an EEG or a MRI. Hearing impairment in a child can be classified based on the way it has been inherited, age of occurrence, audiological characteristics, vestibular phenotype and responsible genetic locus. Anoxia related deafness falls under congenital acquired hearing impairment, same category where infections, maternal diabetes, toxic substance exposure also falls. Treatments are mainly aimed at assessing whatever is left and preventing further damage. Then the stage where decision is taken whether to go for trials with hearing aids or for cochlear implant arrives.