LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A new study led by a Louisville doctor reveals new information about how to treat babies born with opioid withdrawal.
The clinical trial, led by Dr. Lori A. Devlin, a Norton Children's neonatologist and professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, found that individualized treatment for babies born with opioid withdrawal can speed up recovery time and and reduce the amount of time spent in the hospital.
Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, or NOWS, develops when mother takes opioids during pregnancy. As a result, the baby experiences withdrawal symptoms after birth, which include irritability, difficulty with feeding and sleeping problems.
The study compared treating the babies with a fixed medication schedule versus a symptoms-based approach based on how severe the symptoms are. Results showed recovery time was faster with the symptoms-based approach.
Additionally, when the symptoms-based approach is combined with a model of care that includes more family involvement and swaddling before medication is used — called the Eat, Sleep, Console model — babies with NOWS went home an average of 2.3 days sooner.
The research also found 65% of babies treated using the approach did not need scheduled opioid medications or need to be weaned off the medication gradually.
Nearly two dozen hospitals across the country participated in the study, including the neonatal intensive care units at Norton Children's Hospital, Norton Women's & Children's Hospital and UofL Hospital.
"This research is actively changing how babies with NOWS are treated around the world," Devlin said. "Our team is currently conducting another multicenter study to determine the best type of medication for NOWS."
The findings were published in the Journal of American Association. More than 100 researchers contributed to the study.
More than 1,000 Kentucky babies are born with NOWS every year.
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