Buprenorphine vs. morphine: impact on neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) outcomes in a single center retrospective study.
Publication/Presentation Date
4-1-2025
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To compare clinical outcomes for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) treated with buprenorphine or morphine.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of infants born ≥35 weeks' gestation and admitted to the NICU for NOWS treatment between 2011 and 2022. Length of treatment, length of stay in the hospital, and the need for secondary medications were compared between buprenorphine and morphine treated neonates. Multiple regression analysis was performed, adjusting for baseline differences and confounders.
RESULTS: 417 neonates were treated with morphine and 232 with buprenorphine. The buprenorphine group had shorter treatment days [-10.8 days; 95% CI: -8.08 to -13.53] and shorter hospital stay [-11.8 days; 95% CI: -8.83 to -14.78]. The buprenorphine group was no more likely to receive phenobarbital or clonidine (26% vs. 29%).
CONCLUSION: In this large single-center study, buprenorphine was associated with shorter lengths of treatment and hospital stay in the treatment of NOWS compared to morphine.
Volume
45
Issue
4
First Page
473
Last Page
479
ISSN
1476-5543
Published In/Presented At
Anbalagan, S., Anderson, V., Favara, M. T., Stark, D., Carola, D., Solarin, K., Adeniyi-Jones, S., Kraft, W. K., & Aghai, Z. H. (2025). Buprenorphine vs. morphine: impact on neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) outcomes in a single center retrospective study. Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 45(4), 473–479. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-02046-7
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
39003405
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article