Using buprenorphine to treat neonatal abstinence syndrome: a quality improvement study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To assess if treating neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) with sublingual buprenorphine (SLB) would decrease the mean duration of therapy (DOT) and length of birth hospital stay (LOS).

STUDY DESIGN:

Conducted at a tertiary hospital with >6000 annual deliveries and a 2% incidence of NAS, a quality improvement study using plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were utilized. Outcomes were measured using statistical process control (SPC) charts.

RESULTS:

All NAS patients were treated with SLB, no adverse reactions were reported and the need for an adjunctive agent was static. SPC charts demonstrated decreased variability and special cause variation indicating a reduction in both DOT (from 14.5 to 8.5 days) and LOS (from 18.5 to 13 days).

• Authors: Sagar Bhandary, Tinisha Lambeth, Amy Holmes, Mary Pylipow
• Journal: Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association (J Perinatol) Vol. 41 Issue 6 Pg. 1480-1486 (06 2021) ISSN: 1476-5543 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 33758394 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Buprenorphine

Topics

• Buprenorphine (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Infant, Newborn
• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (drug therapy)
• Quality Improvement