Norton Children’s researches treatment for Kentucky newborns exposed to opioids during pregnancy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Doctors with Norton Children’s Research Institute are aiming to improve life for infants by studying treatment for exposure to opioids during pregnancy.

According to a release by Norton Children’s, every 24 minutes, at least one newborn in the U.S. develops Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome after exposure to opioids during pregnancy.

Norton Children’s says it is one of 26 sites across the country studying the “Eat, Sleep, Console” care approach. Using ESC, the hospital says clinicians assess an infant’s withdrawal based on how well the newborn can eat, sleep and be calmed.

The goal is to prioritize family presence, holding the infant, swaddling and rocking as opposed to opioid medications to manage symptoms, the hospital says.

The release further states ESC showed a substantial decrease in the length of a hospital stay for a baby facing the condition. On average, the hospital says babies treated with this method were discharged roughly seven days sooner. They were also 63% less likely to receive drug therapy compared to newborns treated with traditional methods, Norton Children’s says.

According to a report by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the number of infants who undergo withdrawal after birth in Kentucky has substantially increased since 2001, when 67 cases were reported statewide. Now, Kentucky averages more than 1,000 cases of NOWS every year.