BAER and EOAE Hearing Tests Under Anesthesia

Your child is scheduled to have a Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) test and an Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (EOAE) test in our Procedure Room/OR. We use the BAER and EOAE hearing tests for babies and with older children whose hearing cannot be tested behaviorally in a sound booth.

If your child has a hearing loss, the sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better outcomes they will have.

Your child will need other appointments before the day of the BAER/EOAE test to make sure they are healthy. We will help you make these appointments. If you are unable to attend all of the required pre-procedure appointments, your child’s procedure will need to be rescheduled.

The BAER and EOAEs tests can be completed under natural sleep for young infants (less than 6 months old). Older infants and children likely need the test completed under general anesthesia. This allows them to be in a deep enough sleep for us to get the best results. General anesthesia is either given through an intravenous line (IV) tube that goes into a vein or by breathing in a gas. On the day of surgery, you will have a chance to talk with the anesthesiologist about the medicine they will give your child so they are fully asleep for the procedure.

After your child has fallen asleep, the skin is gently cleaned and 4 sensors are placed behind the ears and on the forehead. A soft earphone is placed in the ear canal and different levels of click sounds and tones are presented. The responses to these special sounds are recorded and stored in a computer.

We find out if responses are in the normal hearing range and if not, we find the quietest level your child’s ears respond to.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are sounds created by the inner ear, specifically the outer hair cells of the cochlea. The presence of OAEs indicates that the outer hair cells are healthy, which is consistent with normal to near-normal hearing. To complete the test, a small earphone is placed in the ear canal, a soft sound is presented, and the emissions are recorded (if present).

A parent or legal guardian with medical decision-making rights must come with the child having the test or be immediately available by phone to give verbal consent.

You will not be able to stay with your child during the test. The tests will last for about 1½ hours. After the procedure, your child will be moved to the recovery room (also called the post-anesthesia care unit or PACU). The time spent in the recovery room will vary with each child depending on their procedure and their wake-up time from the anesthesia medicines. The nursing staff will talk with you about when you can join your child after their procedure.

The audiologist will share the results of the tests and any recommendations with you on the day of the test.

If you have questions about the test or need to reschedule call Audiology at 206-987-5173. If your child is sick on the day of the test call the Surgery Center at 206-987-2045.