Frequency of Newborn Fentanyl Exposure and Coexposure to Other Drugs of Abuse

Abstract

Prenatal exposure to fentanyl may lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a constellation of symptoms observed when newborns begin withdrawing from addictive substances such as opioids. The use of umbilical cord (UC) tissue segments for newborn toxicology has been increasing due to its apparent long detection window, sensitivity, and ease of collection. However, very little has been reported in the literature concerning the prevalence of in utero exposure to fentanyl and coexposure to other commonly abused substances. The specific aims of this retrospective study are twofold. We will report prevalence of neonatal exposure to fentanyl for a nationwide high-risk population using UC submitted to a national reference laboratory for routine forensic toxicology analysis and the coexposure patterns observed for these fentanyl-exposed neonates.