Gabapentin Use for Hospitalized Neonates.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal pharmacology
• Pediatric neurology
• Clinical pharmacy

Background:

• Clinician interest exists for using gabapentin to manage neonatal irritability of neurological origin.
• The actual extent of gabapentin use in hospitalized neonates is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine trends in gabapentin utilization among U.S. neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) inpatients.
• To examine associations between specific clinical diagnoses and gabapentin treatment in neonates.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of neonates admitted to NICUs from 2005 to 2016 using the Pediatric Health Information System.
• Modified Poisson regression was employed to calculate the adjusted relative risk of gabapentin administration.

Main Results:

• Gabapentin was administered to 0.13% of 278,403 neonates, with usage rising from 0% in 2005 to 0.39% in 2016.
• Term infants and preterm infants ≤28 weeks' gestation were most likely to receive gabapentin.
• Diagnoses including chromosomal abnormalities, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hemorrhagic stroke, and neonatal abstinence syndrome were linked to increased gabapentin use; most infants (88.8%) did not have a seizure diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Gabapentin use in U.S. NICUs has increased, showing significant institutional variation.
• Specific infant populations, including those with chronic genetic, neurological, or gastrointestinal conditions, were more likely to receive gabapentin.