title: Early Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Palliative Approach.
abstract: ObjectiveTo describe medical, safety, and health care utilization outcomes associated with an early treatment model for neonatal opioid withdrawal.Study DesignThis is a retrospective review of 117 opioid-exposed infants born in a large regional hospital and treated in the level I nursery with methadone initiated within 48 hours of birth.ResultsFor this cohort, mean length of stay was 8.3 days. Hospital safety events were infrequent; there were no medication errors or deaths. Within 30 days of discharge, 14% of infants visited the emergency department; 7% were readmitted. Per birth, mean hospital charges were $10,946.96; mean costs were $5,908.93.ConclusionThis study is the first to describe an early treatment model in a low-acuity nursery to prevent severe neonatal opioid withdrawal. The described model may be safe, effective, low-cost, and feasible for replication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Greenville Health System, Greenville, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dickes
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Windsor Westbrook
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Sherrill
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Summey
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina.
authors.forename: Kindal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dankovich
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000379:methods; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013022:South Carolina; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D008691:Methadone