title: The prevalence of prenatal opioid and other drug use in Utah.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine the prevalence of prenatal opioid and other drug positivity among women delivering infants in Utah and compare the findings with national data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Umbilical cord tissue samples and nonidentifiable demographic data were collected anonymously in 13 labor and delivery units throughout Utah. Samples were analyzed for opioids, amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, phencyclidine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, propoxyphene, and alcohol biomarkers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-eight (6.8%) of 850 umbilical cord samples were positive for one or more substances. Opioids were the most frequently detected drugs (4.7%). Fewer samples were positive for alcohol (0.4%), methamphetamine (0.1%), cocaine (0.1%), and marijuana (0.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Opioids were the most frequently detected drugs at delivery. Although some of the samples positive for opioids might have been a result of intrapartum exposure, a significant number were positive for opioids that are not given during labor. This parallels the increasing nonmedical use of prescription pain medications in the general population and has important implications for neonates because of the potential for significant morbidity secondary to neonatal abstinence syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84158, USA. karen.buchi@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Karen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Buchi
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Varner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology; D017533:Marital Status; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008484:Medicaid; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States; D014589:Utah / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult