Neonatal Outcomes Among Patients Taking Medication for Opioid Use Disorder [A248

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Our multidisciplinary “Partnering for the Future” (PFF) clinic cares for birthing people with a mood or substance use disorder, including patients receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The purpose of this study was to summarize the neonatal outcomes among infants born to patients receiving MOUD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients receiving care in our PFF clinic from January 2019 to August 2021. We excluded patients who were not maintained on MOUD and those only seen for consultation. Neonatal characteristics were abstracted from the medical record. Descriptive statistics were computed in SPSS v27. This study was deemed exempt by the institutional review board RESULTS: A total of 92 maternal-infant pairs were identified, of whom 49 patients were taking MOUD, resulting in 51 (54.3%) opioid-exposed infants (two twin pregnancies). Methadone exposure occurred in 21 (43%) pregnancies and buprenorphine exposure in 28 (57%). Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission occurred in 45% (23/51) of infants. Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) was diagnosed in 26 (51.0%) infants, with 69% (18/26) infants developing severe NOWS meeting criteria for treatment. Severe NOWS occurred in 57% (12/21) of methadone-exposed pregnancies and 21% (6/28) of buprenorphine-exposed pregnancies. Among the 18 neonates diagnosed with severe NOWS, the average time to initial NOWS diagnosis was 22.35 (±0.86) hours compared to 40.4 (±0.70) hours for neonates diagnosed with non-severe NOWS. CONCLUSION: Severe NOWS was more prevalent among infants exposed to methadone and diagnosed sooner than non-severe NOWS cases. Strategies are needed to reduce NICU admissions and identify infants at highest risk for severe NOWS.