Hearing Loss Following Cardiac Interventions

Objective: This study investigates the association between cardiac interventions and the risk of developing unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) or sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Study design: This retrospective cohort study included 120,429,580 patients from the TriNetX US Collaborative Network. Setting: Inpatient, ambulatory, and academic medical centers. Patients: All patients undergoing various cardiac interventions were stratified into groups based on embolic risk, surgical approach (open vs. minimally invasive), and dialysis dependence. Intervention: We aim to determine whether embolic events, anesthesia exposure, surgical trauma, or altered circulatory dynamics contribute to postprocedural hearing loss. Outcome: Risk ratios (RR) with 95% CI were calculated to assess the relative risk of USNHL/SSNHL across these groups, with a P -value < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Patients with intermediate embolic risk (atrial fibrillation, TIA, or stroke without anticoagulation) had a significantly increased risk of hearing loss. High embolic risk patients with anticoagulation also had elevated risk but to a lesser degree. Open valve replacement and open bypass did not significantly increase risk of hearing loss. Patients undergoing general anesthesia for cardiac surgery had a higher risk of hearing loss compared with general anesthesia alone. Dialysis-dependent patients had a significantly increased risk of hearing loss. Conclusion: Embolic burden, valvular surgery, and dialysis dependence are associated with increased USNHL/SSNHL risk following cardiac interventions. While cardiac surgery contributes to hearing loss, open procedures do not necessarily increase risk compared with minimally invasive techniques. Further research is needed to identify preventive strategies. Level of evidence: Level III.