Physiologic dysregulation in newborns with prenatal opioid exposure: Cardiac, respiratory and movement activity

Newborns with prenatal opioid exposure (POE) are commonly diagnosed with neonatal abstinence/opioid-withdrawal syndromes due to characteristic symptoms and overt behaviors. However, little is known about the underlying physiology of opioid-exposed newborns.

Cardiac, respiratory and movement activity were measured to identify physiologic dysregulation and quantify pathophysiologic instabilities of the central and autonomic nervous systems in POE newborns.

In this pilot study, 30 hospitalized POE newborns (>35 wks gestational age) participated in one of two study phases wherein physiologic activity was measured for an 8-10 h session. In Phase 1, 17 infants received usual treatment to provide a general assessment of physiologic activity. In Phase 2, 13 infants participated in an interventional study (NCT02768844) using a prototype mattress that delivered stochastic vibratory stimulation (SVS). Changes in physiologic activity were compared for device on (N) and off (F) for three interfeed periods (FNF or NFN).

Phase 1 showed that although infants' heart rate was on average within normal newborn range (mean 137 bpm, SD 7), infants were tachycardic 16% of the study period and tachypneic (mean 74 breaths/min, SD 13) 62% of the period. Infants moved 33% of the period; 17% were durations >30 s. In Phase 2, heart rate, respiratory rate, movement duration and frequency were each reduced for SVS N compared to SVS F in the FNF protocol (P < 0.05).

Findings support that physiologic measures can identify dysregulation not captured with current withdrawal scoring assessments. Larger studies are warranted to assess if mattress SVS helps regulate pathophysiologic instabilities in infants with POE.