Who Drugged the Baby? Managing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome James H. Nichols, PhD, DABCC, FACB Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology Medical Director, Clinical Chemistry Associate Medical Director of Clinical Operations Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, TN 37232‐5310 [email protected]
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Who Drugged the Baby? Managing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
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Who Drugged the Baby? Managing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
James H. Nichols, PhD, DABCC, FACBProfessor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology
Medical Director, Clinical ChemistryAssociate Medical Director of Clinical Operations
Vanderbilt University School of MedicineNashville, TN 37232‐5310
• Define Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)• Describe the regulations mandating the reporting of NAS
• Identify the types of specimens and limitations of drug testing for NAS
Case• Baby boy born 38 1/7 wks (2609 g) via induced vaginal delivery secondarẙ
to decelerations noted on nonstress test. (at term delivery)• Pregnancy complicated by polysubstance abuse (noncompliant on
buprenorphine), G2L1, Pos Hepatitis C, HSV (on acyclovir), Factor V Leiden mutation (transitioned from lovenox to ASA).
• Uncomplicated delivery Apgar Score 9,9; admitted to weborn nursery at risk, transferred to NICU for NAS score of 11 requiring pharmacologic intervention. On trial (randomized to methadone or morphine) for several weeks as well as phenobarb for severity of NAS scores.
• Discharged after 6 weeks in NICU at 4600 g (NAS score 1‐2) to father living with baby’s grandparents, DCS involved, mom on supervised visitation.
• Infant is currently doing well at 6 months of age, at risk for developmental delays due to early Hx, DCS continues involvement.
• Meconium sent at 3 days post birth was negative for drugs of abuse!• Newborn cord testing at 2 days post birth was positive for cocaine,
morphine, buprenorphine‐glucuroinide and 6‐monacetyl morphine!
Audience Poll
• What is the risk to a fetus exposed to drugs?A. Slow weight gainB. Birth defectsC. IrritabilityD. All of the above
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
• Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a group of problems that occur in a newborn who was exposed to addictive illegal or prescription drugs while in the mother’s womb.
• These drugs can include amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana and opiates/narcotics.
• These substances pass through the placenta to the baby during pregnancy and the baby becomes addicted along with the mother.
NAS Symptoms• At birth, the baby is no longer getting the drug and symptoms
of withdrawal occur. • Symptoms can begin within 1‐3 days of birth or may take 5‐10
days to appear, and can last as long as 6 months. • Mottled skin, diarrhea/vomiting, excessive sucking, poor
feeding, slow weight gain, fever, rapid breathing, hyperactive reflexes, increased muscle tone, sleep problems, irritability, excessive or high‐pitched crying, sweating, trembling and seizures.
• Drug use during pregnancy is also associated with birth defects, low birthweight, prematurity and sudden infant death syndrome.
Audience Poll
• Which drug is responsible for the highest number of NAS cases reported?A. MarijuanaB. CocaineC. OpiatesD. Amphetamines
NAS Causes
• The most common substances causing NAS are the opiate class of drugs (ex. morphine, heroin).
• NAS can occur when a pregnant women takes:– A prescription medication prescribed to her – An illicit medication – A prescription medication written for someone else but diverted to her
Audience Poll
• Can a mother be convicted of a crime if a baby is exposed to drugs in utero?A. YesB. NoC. Only if the patient dies or suffers irreparable
harmD. Both parents, biologic mother and father can be
convicted
NAS as a Reportable Condition• Over the last decade, the incidence of NAS in Tennessee has
increased by 15‐fold, far exceeding the national increase (3‐fold over same time period).
• A subcabinet working group focused on NAS was convened in 2012, consisting of Commissioner‐level representation from the Departments of Health, Children’s Services, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Safety and Human Services as well as the Bureau of Health Care Finance and Administration (Medicaid) and the Children’s Cabinet . The group is focused on policy and program strategies to reduce NAS (largely through primary prevention).
• Previous data on the incidence of NAS was obtained through analysis of hospital discharge data or Medicaid claim data, both of which are associated with significant time lags.
NAS as a Reportable Condition• The Tennessee Department of Health made Neonatal Abstinence
Syndrome (NAS) a reportable condition on January 1, 2013. Providers who diagnose NAS are required to report to the Department through an online portal within 30 days of diagnosis.
• During 2014, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted Public Chapter 820, effective April 24, 2014, which amends T.C.A. § 39‐13‐107. The new law provides that a woman can be charged with a misdemeanor if she illegally uses narcotics during pregnancy and if the baby is harmed as a result (ex. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome).
• The intent of PC 820 is to give law enforcement and district attorneys a tool to address illicit drug use among pregnant women, through treatment programs including drug courts and particularly in egregious cases such as more than one NAS delivery.
Audience Poll
• What is the most common specimen for neonatal drug testing?A. UrineB. BloodC. HairD. MeconiumE. Umbilical cord
Neonatal Drug Testing Specimens• Urine – Detects recent exposure (past 1‐3 days)• Meconium – Detects fetal exposure from second trimester
to term (up to 20 weeks, remember full term = 39 wks)• Cord – In theory detects exposure comparable to meconium
(formed during first 5 wks fetal development)• Other samples not common blood, saliva, hair, nails…• Specimen collection challenges, differences in metabolites,
exposure timing and test cutoffs can lead to discrepancies between results!
• m(OH)‐benzoylecognine, for example, is primary metabolite of cocaine in meconium. Urine IA and common GC/MS tuned to BE may miss 25% of babies + for cocaine. 14
• Limited by amount available for collection• Urine absorbs into diapers – some gel diapers will trap and hold drugs and urine analytes, don’t attempt to squeeze liquid from diapers!
• Plastic diapers and tape can irritate newborn skin even tear skin when removing! Aspirating liquid from plastic diapers is NOT easy!
Meconium Sample Limitations• Meconium not available in 8‐20 % of births (USDTL statistics)
• Stressed babies in greatest need of testing – pass meconium prior to birth
• Other newborns take several days to pass meconium – pooling and storing during collection?
• Heterogeneous sample – varies from watery to viscous
• Loss in diaper and incomplete collections over several days of collection
Cord Sample Collection• Easier to collect than meconium• Available on every newborn at birth• Lots of specimen ‐virtually no QNS’s• Lowers nursing costs for specimen collection• Requires saving a section of cord, washing it in saline and placing in appropriately labeled container.
• Discussion Question: What labeling issues might arise from cord sample collections?
Sample Matrix Result Agreement• USDTL reported Meconium vs Cord Agreement
• Urine confirmation reported within 4 days• Meconium and cord samples sent out to reference laboratory for testing, confirmed results are returned (7 – 10 days)
Cord Samples• Collected at every birth• Labeled with baby’s name (prevents need for relabeling later when preparing sample for send‐out testing)
• Accessioned as “received in lab”• Held for up to 7 days for add‐on cord drug testing if baby readmitted with NAS symptoms
• If no drug test ordered, sample commented as discarded with date/time
Summary• NAS is a serious illness for at risk newborns• NAS is a reportable disease and moms can be convicted for exposing their babies to drugs during pregnancy
• Variety of specimens can be used for laboratory testing to substantiate history and clinical symptoms
• Results may not agree between specimens for several reasons:– Assays have varying thresholds for positivity– Individual samples reflect different exposure timing– Collection challenges may show preanalytic variability– A single positive for any sample is sufficient evidence