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Camden Clark Medical Center hosts program on drug-impacted infants

By From staff reports 2 min read
Photo Provided From left, Dr. Sean Loudin, associate professor at Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and medical director of Neonatal Therapeutic Unit at Cabell Huntington Hospital, and Dr. Stefan Maxwell, director of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at CAMC and medical director of Neonatology, Pediatrix Medical Group, discuss caring for babies who are drug affected on Friday at Camden Clark Medical Center.

PARKERSBURG -- Over 100 clinical and community members from around the region were at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center on Friday for "Caring for Babies Who are Drug Affected -- from Hospital to Home."

Diana Johnston, CCMC's director of Women and Children Services, introduced the program. Dr. Sean Loudin and Dr. Stefan Maxwell spoke about identifying and caring for newborns affected by maternal substance use.

Other speakers included WVU Children's Pharmacy Manager Courtney Sweet, WVU Children's Community Health Nurse Clinician Casey McCord and West Virginia Perinatal Partnership Nurse Molly McMillion.

The program was hosted by WVU Medicine Camden Clark in partnership with West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and the Children's Home Society of West Virginia.

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources in April released county-level Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) data for 2017 showing the overall incidence rate of NAS was 50.6 cases per 1,000 live births (5.06 percent) for West Virginia residents.

NAS is a withdrawal syndrome that occurs after prenatal exposure to drugs is discontinued suddenly at birth. NAS involves multiple systems in the infant's body, officials said.

Infants with NAS often require longer hospital stays to monitor and treat withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, feeding difficulties, excessive crying, and sensitivity to stimuli, officials said.

Pharmacological treatment such as small doses of morphine or methadone may be needed to manage withdrawal symptoms; the infant is then slowly weaned off under the supervision of a medical team, officials said.

The highest incidence rate of NAS was 106.6 cases per 1,000 live births (10.66 percent) in Lincoln County, followed by Marshall County, where the incidence rate was 102.1 cases per 1,000 live births (10.21 percent).

Two counties (Pleasants and Pendleton) had no infants with NAS; all other counties had at least one documented case.

As more years of data are collected, data will become available for all counties, officials said. The NAS data are now posted online at www.dhhr.wv.gov/bph.

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