Examine whether neonatal neurobehavioral profiles are related to need for pharmacological treatment among infants with prenatal opioid exposure. Prospective cohort study of 217 infants with need for treatment determined using the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Tool (FNAST), Neonatal Withdrawal Inventory (NWI), or Eat Sleep Console (ESC). Neurobehavior was assessed with the NeoNatal Neurobehavioral Scale II (NNNS-II). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) classified infants into neurobehavioral profiles, and logistic regression assessed the association between NNNS-II profiles and need for treatment. A 3-profile LPA solution best fit the NNNS-II data comprised of typical (67%), hyper-aroused (19%) and hypo-aroused groups (15%). Infants with atypical NNNS-II profiles were more likely to receive treatment (OR = 3.45, 95% CI 1.21–9.81) compared to infants with typical profiles (p < 0.05). Newborn neurobehavioral profiles may aid in early identification of infants requiring pharmacological treatment for opioid withdrawal, reducing length of stay and healthcare costs.
Donahue et al. (Fri,) studied this question.