Variation in Hospital Practices Regarding Marijuana Use in Pregnancy and Lactation.

Background and Objectives: Evidence is lacking on the safety of marijuana (MJ) exposure on the fetus and neonate, and current guidelines vary across professional organizations. We examined variation in hospital practices regarding use of mother's own milk (MOM) in the setting of perinatal MJ exposure based on hospital location and state MJ legal designation. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional electronic survey of U.S. perinatal health care workers on hospital policies and clinical practice regarding maternal MJ use from November 2021 to April 2022. We analyzed responses from those working in states with legal recreational MJ (REC), MJ legal for medical use only (MED), and illegal MJ (NON), based on legalization status as of 2021. Results: Two thousand six hundred eighty-three surveys were analyzed from 50 states and the District of Columbia, with 1,392 respondents from REC states, 524 from NON states, and 668 from MED states. Hospital policies and practices showed significant differences between facilities from REC and NON states. REC states were more likely to have policies allowing use of MOM from mothers using MJ after delivery and less likely to routinely include cannabinoids in toxicology testing. Hospital policies also varied within individual hospitals between well baby nurseries and neonatal intensive care units. Conclusions: Hospital practices vary widely surrounding provision of MOM in the presence of maternal MJ use, based on state legalization status and hospital unit of care. Clear guidelines across professional organizations regarding perinatal MJ exposure, regardless of legality, are warranted to improve consistency of care and patient education.

A Prolonged Treatment Associated With Absent Septum Pellucidum in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Case Report.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) involves a widely variable treatment course among affected individuals. Prognostic indicators that would help predict length of hospital stay and individualize treatment would be valuable to newborns, parents, and hospital staff, including advanced practice registered nurses. We describe a newborn with a prolonged NAS treatment course necessitating high doses of opioids and phenobarbital, found to have an isolated absent septum pellucidum (ASP). We hypothesize a mechanism for an association between an ASP and a difficult NAS treatment course. Should this be substantiated by other cases, it could provide a valuable prognosticator and indicate alternate treatment pathways.

The Role of Breast Milk in Infectious Disease.

Human milk has many advantageous anti-infective and immunologic properties, making it the ideal nutritional source to optimize the well-being of infants. There are certain infectious circumstances where breast milk feedings should be withheld or strict precautions followed, and this article addresses these rare events. Contamination and misadministration when handling human milk is also a safety concern, especially when caring for vulnerable preterm infants. This article addresses ways to decrease these occurrences to maintain the inherent anti-infectious properties of human milk and preserve the health of our neonatal population.

Use of acetaminophen for patent ductus arteriosus treatment: a single center experience.

Purpose: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) continues to be one of the most common complications associated with preterm birth. Up to 70% of infants born before 28 weeks gestational age may require some form of medical or surgical treatment for PDA closure. Recent studies have suggested acetaminophen to be a promising new alternative to indomethacin and ibuprofen for closure of PDA with potentially fewer adverse effects. Our aim for the study was to report our experience regarding the efficacy of acetaminophen compared to indomethacin for treatment of hemodynamically significant PDA (hs-PDA) in infants born in our institution.Material and methods: Retrospective cohort study of all preterm infants born <34-week gestation with hs-PDA, treated with acetaminophen or indomethacin as the first line medication for hs-PDA. Primary outcome of successful PDA closure rate (small or no PDA) and secondary outcomes of short-term morbidities and immediate adverse events were compared between the two cohorts.Results: Of the 43 infants, 25 were treated with acetaminophen and 18 with indomethacin, as first line for hs-PDA. Successful PDA closure rate was slightly lower for acetaminophen compared to indomethacin, although statistically not significant (acetaminophen: 40% versus indomethacin: 55.5%, p = .31). No significant differences in short-term morbidities including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), late onset sepsis (LOS), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), or immediate side effects including oliguria, hyponatremia, elevated BUN/creatinine, thrombocytopenia were found between the two cohorts.Conclusions: Acetaminophen treatment of hs-PDA resulted in similar successful PDA closure rate compared to indomethacin in our small cohort of patients.

Effects of Donor Breastmilk Feeding on Growth and Early Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants: An Observational Study.

PURPOSE: Donor breastmilk (DBM) has gained popularity as an alternative to formula when mother's own milk (MOM) is unavailable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a predominantly DBM diet on growth and subsequent neurodevelopment in preterm infants at a level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: This single-center, observational cohort study compared data from preterm infants supplemented with predominantly (>50%) DBM to those from age- and weight-matched infants fed only MOM or supplemented with predominantly (>50%) preterm formula (PF). The primary outcome was in-hospital weight gain, and the secondary outcome was neurodevelopment, as assessed by the Bayley III scale at 1 and 2 years' corrected age. Exclusion criteria were major congenital defects, death prior to discharge from the NICU, or supplementation volumes of <50% over the first month of life. We compared the outcomes among the 3 feeding groups with the χ2 test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA, with post hoc pairwise comparisons after adjustment for the following confounders: bronchopulmonary dysplasia, multiple births, and social work involvement. FINDINGS: In the entire cohort, the mean gestational age was 27.1 weeks and the mean birthweight was 914 g. The DBM (n = 27) and PF (n = 25) groups were similar with regard to socioeconomic characteristics. DBM infants regained birthweight more slowly over the first month of life compared with infants fed MOM (n = 29) or PF (mean [SD], 17.9 [5.7], 22.0 [6.8], and 20.3 [5.7] g/kg/d, respectively; P = 0.05); however, this growth difference was attenuated at later time points. In a fully adjusted model, the DBM group scored significantly lower in cognition at both 1 year (P = 0.005) and 2 years (P = 0.03) of age compared with the infants fed non-DBM diets. IMPLICATIONS: The findings from this study suggest that in this NICU, preterm infants supplemented with predominantly DBM had compromised early in-hospital weight gain and, possibly, early cognitive delays compared with infants fed only MOM or infants supplemented with predominantly PF. These findings reinforce the need for further research on the optimal use of DBM in the preterm population and a continued need for promoting breastfeeding efforts to supply MOM.