OBJECTIVE To estimate the effect of maternal illicit and prescription drug use on neonates in Washington State between 2000 and 2008. METHODS We used state-linked birth certificate and hospital discharge (mother and neonate) data to calculate prenatal drug exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome rates, and compared state neonatal abstinence syndrome rates with national-level data from the N...

Objective. Compare developmental outcomes in infants treated with morphine versus methadone. Method. Retrospective chart review of newborns identified through use of ICD-9 code for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Thirty-six infants were evaluated-17 treated with methadone and 19 treated with morphine. Assessment was completed following treatment using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler...

Neurobehavioural development of 35 infants of drug dependent mothers was compared with the development of 37 reference infants as part of a prospective longitudinal research project. Infants of drug dependent mothers had more poor responses than the other children on neurological examination. This difference is significant only when data of infants of drug dependent mothers born at full term ar...

PURPOSE This study explored the experiences of NICU nurses in caring for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). DESIGN A qualitative research approach was used with open-ended questions employing computer-assisted personal interviews. SAMPLE Fourteen NICU nurses employed in a regional hospital provided responses. RESULTS The nurses reflected a personal struggle between a desire ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this focused ethnography was to describe the culture of care and nonpharmacologic nursing interventions performed by NICU nurses for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). METHOD Roper and Shapira's framework for the analysis included participant observation, individual interviews, and examination of existing documents. SAMPLE Twelve full-time nurses were ob...

Drug use is on the rise in Delaware, as demonstrated by the continued increase in infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Thoughtful, evidence-based, and coordinated approaches are necessary to impact this problem. There is solid evidence that mothers and infants who remain together have improved outcomes. Professional medical and nursing societies are unanimous in support of non-puniti...

Neonatal abstinence syndrome is characterized by the onset of withdrawal symptoms in a neonate due to prenatal or postnatal exposure to illegal drugs or prescription drugs. The clinical presentation is usually dependent on the duration and time of exposure to the drug and not the drug itself. Meconium analysis or umbilical cord testing are the gold standard for the diagnosis of neonatal abstine...

AIMS More than half of infants exposed to opioids in utero develop neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) of severity to require pharmacological therapy. Current treatments are associated with prolonged hospitalization. We sought to optimize the dose of sublingual buprenorphine in the treatment of NAS. DESIGN Randomized, Phase 1, open-label, active-control clinical trial comparing sublingual bupr...

Prenatal opioid agonist therapy with methadone or buprenorphine prevents maternal illicit opioid use and withdrawal and improves pregnancy outcomes compared to heroin use alone. Historically, methadone has been the first-line opioid agonist therapy for pregnant opioid dependent women; in recent years buprenorphine has become first-line treatment for some opioid dependent pregnant women. While t...