S2 Ep17: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Treat it right NOWS

Did you know that NOWS is the new NAS? Learn more about the new AAP Clinical Report on Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome with lead author Dr. Stephen Patrick. Dr. Patrick is the Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, and an attending neonatologist at Monroe Carol Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. In this episode, he teaches us about the approach to treating withdrawal in infants, the importance of keeping moms and babies together, and the need for destigmatizing addiction in healthcare. 

Time Stamps 7:48 Case from Kashlak Children’s 8:38 Definition of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome  9:48 Clinical Presentation of NOWS 11:30 Scoring Systems 14:34 Importance of diagnosing NOWS 15:16 Opioid Crisis and Epidemiology 16:35 Risk Factors for developing NOWS 19:16 The role of structural racism and social determinants of health 21:05 Stigma of addiction 23:10 Building a therapeutic relationship 25:32 Breastfeeding 26:40 Toxicology testing 29:16 Structural racism  30:14 Non-pharmacologic management 31:58 Pharmacologic Management 35:16 Clinical course  37:40 Treatment and taper plan 40:20 Discharge planning 43:20 Outpatient Follow up 44:26 AAP Clinical Report Changes 46:46 Advocacy and Policy 47:14 Buprenorphine  50:18 Outro