Hypoxia induced hearing loss in animal models of the fetus in-utero

The human fetus in-utero has low arterial oxygen tension. It has, therefore, been suggested that at greater than 28 weeks gestational age, the fetus may have a sensori-neural hearing loss comparable to that seen in adult cats exposed to similar degrees of hypoxia. This is due to hypoxia induced depression of the endocochlear potential. However, fetal blood is provided with compensatory mechanisms (elevated hematocrit and hemoglobin and special fetal hemoglobin) which enable pick up and transport of more oxygen from the placenta than adult blood under the same physiological conditions. Therefore, the hypothesis of a fetal sensori-neural hearing loss due to oxygen lack was tested in the following animal models: a) Adult cats to which feline red blood cells were infused thus causing a polycythemia similar to fetal conditions; b) Adult rats acclimated to altitude in a hypobaric chamber, inducing erythropoiesis with elevated hematocrit and hemoglobin; c) Neonatal guinea pigs and goats studied when they were less than 12 hours old so that the fetal compensatory mechanisms were still present. In each model, hypoxia (PaO₂ 20-30 mmHg) induced an ABR threshold elevation resembling that obtained in the uncompensated adult animal. Thus these experiments seem to have confirmed the hypothesis of a fetal, hypoxic induced sensori-neural hearing loss even though such experiments have not been conducted directly on fetal animals.