Maternal Substance Use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Descriptive Study

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is one of the primary negative effects of substance use during pregnancy. The exact statistics regarding NAS and substance use during pregnancy are difficult to determine due to underreporting, especially in the context of pregnancy. Similarly, little is known regarding whether the severity of NAS differs based on substance exposure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of NAS and types of substance use during pregnancy, and determine whether the presentation of NAS symptoms differ based on the type of substance. A retrospective chart review was conducted over a one year period at a tertiary care hospital. One hundred thirty-one mother-infant pairs met the inclusion criteria of documented NAS scores using the Modified Finnegan Scoring Tool and substance use during pregnancy. The results identified a high prevalence of NAS (8.7 %) primarily as a result of exposure to illicit opioids and/or to methadone as the treatment for opioid addiction. In addition, more than half the women on methadone maintenance treatment continued to use additional substances primarily opiates. Infants who were exposed to methadone experienced more severe NAS compared to infants not exposed to methadone including higher peak scores, prolonged NAS treatment, and length of stay. Given the severity of symptoms of the methadone exposed infants and the high rate of opioid use with methadone treatment, evidence-based interventions are required to decrease the negative effects of NAS.