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Parents May Aid Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Recovery for Infants in Opioid Withdrawal

A recent medical study has shown that when infants are suffering from opioid withdrawal and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome they will recover faster when they spend a significant amount of time with their parents nearby. Having the parents close to the infant has shown to greatly improve the outcome. The study findings were used in a presentation for the 2016 meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies. According to Boston Children’s Hospital/Boston Medical Center Combined Residency Program associate Mary Beth Howard, M.D., M.Sc., the lead author of the study, “Encouraging and supporting mothers with substance abuse disorders to be involved in their infant’s care while they are being treated for withdrawal symptoms should be a priority of providers caring for opioid-exposed newborns.”

As the USA and Canada struggle with an epidemic of opioid abuse more infants will experience opioid withdrawal and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome from exposure to heroin or other opioid drugs in the womb. Some of the symptoms of NAS include poor feeding, lethargy, tremors, vomiting, diarrhea, poor sleep, and intense irritability. Infants who experience these symptoms are typically treated in the hospital, and this often requires weeks of an inpatient stay along with a variety of drugs to treat the symptoms that the infant experiences. In the study newborns who had their parents at the bedside during the treatment tended to have opioid withdrawal symptoms that were less severe, and these infants were typically released after shorter stays than infants who did not receive the same parental support and presence.

According to Howard “Our results show that non-pharmacologic interventions play a key role in treating opioid-exposed infants and lessening the severity of NAS. Rooming-in may provide opportunities for bonding and normalize the postpartum process for women who may feel vulnerable and stigmatized because of their opioid dependence history. Creating a more secure, compassionate, and comfortable environment for mothers and infants will likely lead to improved outcomes for both mother and infant.”

Can Computer Based Modeling Help Treat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?

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neonatal abstinence syndrome, opioid addiction

Neonatal abstinence syndrome is becoming a big problem in North America. The babies born with an opioid addiction can suffer horribly, and require lengthy hospital stays and extensive medical treatment after they are born. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center reserchers have discovered that computer based modeling used to simulate how the drug moves through the body of the infant from administration through complete elimination could lower the hospitalization time and the treatment required. The admission of newborns who suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome has increased significantly in the last decade or so. Researchers say that it is critical that NAS is discovered and diagnosed before the newborn is discharged and taken home. If this happens then the baby must struggle through the withdrawal without any medical treatment and support.

The study on neonatal abstinence syndrome and opioid addiction provides hope for more effective treatment methods. Symptoms of NAS may not appear in the first 48 hours and many insurance companies only allow a 48 hour stay after childbirth. Lead study author and Perinatal Institute at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital researcher Eric Hall, Ph.D., discussed the study. “The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome after an infant’s in utero exposure to opioids has risen dramatically in recent years. Future protocol refinements may include personalized treatments, including strategies based on bedside pharmacogenetic analyses or individual opioid exposure profiles, which take into account individual genetic responses to drugs.” According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital pediatrician Scott Wexelblatt, M.D., “Prior to this program, one of four women using opioids went undetected. Today we are detecting nearly all.”