Impact of treatment approach on maternal and neonatal outcome in pregnant opioid‐maintained women

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare maternal and neonatal outcome of opioid-dependent women maintained on buprenorphine or methadone throughout pregnancy in a randomized double-blind double-dummy clinical trial (CT) with a comparison group undergoing a structured standard protocol (SP) at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. One hundred and fourteen subjects were included in the analysis, with 77 in SP (n = 51 methadone, n = 26 buprenorphine), and 37 in CT (n = 19 methadone, n = 18 buprenorphine), comparing maternal concomitant consumption during third trimester, demographic birth data, duration of treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), morphine dose for NAS treatment and length of hospital stay (LOS). Both study groups yielded healthy neonates with no significant demographic differences and equivalently low rates of positive maternal urine toxicologies. However, NAS parameters were significantly better in CT regarding total medication dose administered to neonates (p = 0.014) and LOS (p = 0.015). Superior results were achieved in buprenorphine compared with methadone-exposed neonates regarding gestational age at birth (p = 0.003), birth weight (p = 0.011), total morphine dose administered (p = 0.008), NAS treatment duration (p = 0.008) and LOS (p = 0.001). Comparably favorable outcome for mothers and infants and efficacy and safety of opioid medications were shown in both treatment approaches. Neonatal care could benefit from transferring successful CT procedures into clinical practice.