Control of breathing in babies of narcotic- and cocaine-abusing mothers.
To learn if chemoreceptor control of breathing is abnormal in babies whose mothers took narcotics, cocaine, or both drugs during pregnancy, we performed hypoxia and hypercapnia challenges on 28 babies (greater than or equal to 36 weeks gestation). Six babies were exposed to narcotics, six to cocaine, nine to both drugs, and seven babies were controls. Studies were done at 3 and 8 weeks and 3 and 5 months of age. Gestational ages were similar, but birth weight was lower in the cocaine group. Respiratory rate was higher in both groups of cocaine-exposed babies at 3 weeks. End-tidal partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) was decreased and partial pressure of O2 (PO2) increased at 3 and 8 weeks in babies exposed to narcotics plus cocaine. At 3 weeks, babies exposed to narcotics plus cocaine had a shift to the left in CO2 response with a normal slope; at 8 weeks, both intercept and slope were decreased. Responses to hypoxia were similar among the four groups. Babies exposed to narcotics plus cocaine before birth have abnormalities in control of breathing in the first months after birth.
McCann
E M
EM
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of San Francisco, CA 94118.
Lewis
K
K
D001724:Birth Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D009294:Narcotics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
D009294:Narcotics; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D003042:Cocaine; D010100:Oxygen