Cocaine: a neonatal perspective.
This paper focuses on cocaine misuse as it impacts on neonates born at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The majority of infants of cocaine-using mothers (ICAM) appear clinically normal and pass through the "normal nursery." However, the longer hospital stay for the smaller, sicker ICAMs means that many cocaine-exposed sick infants are in the hospital at any time. The misperceptions of the pregnant cocaine-misusing woman often cause the ICAM to be born prematurely. The prematurity then superimposes other potential threats on the infant. Further, the environmental chaos into which these mothers and infants return following discharge may also contribute to the difficulties seen among these children. Finally, there are unanswered questions that have to be confronted by the hospital staff. These include ethical questions related to the "costs" of care to the cocaine-exposed infant.
Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.
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D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012931:Social Environment; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D003042:Cocaine