Can methadone concentrations predict the severity of withdrawal in infants at risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome?
AIM: To assess the usefulness of cord and serum methadone concentrations at 2 days of age in predicting the severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in infants whose mothers received methadone during pregnancy. METHODS: After informed consent, infants were enrolled if they were delivered at 35 weeks gestation or greater. Relevant information was collected from maternal notes. A sample of cord blood was taken at delivery, with a follow up sample at 48 hours of age. The samples were analysed in batches, and the results were unavailable to the attending clinical staff. Infants were treated for NAS on clinical grounds according to a standardised scoring system. RESULTS: Twenty five of 36 eligible infants over the 21 month period of the study were enrolled. Of these, 12 required treatment for NAS. Maternal methadone dose did not predict the need for treatment. However, infants who required treatment had significantly lower methadone concentrations in cord blood than the group who did
Related Questions
- Can methadone concentrations predict the severity of withdrawal in infants at risk of neonatal abstinence syndrome?
- What is the ability of neonatal cranial US to predict long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in VLBW PT infants?
- Does carbohydrate-deficient transferrin predict the severity of alcohol withdrawal syndrome?
