Part 1: Assessment of Infants with
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

 

Description

Drug use among pregnant women can lead to problems in the developing fetus including congenital anomalies, problems with growth, preterm labor, withdrawal or toxicity in the newborn, and later problems with neuro-development. One of the most readily apparent problems created by in utero exposure to drugs is neonatal abstinence syndrome. This presentation will discuss the definition of NAS, the drugs that may cause signs of neonatal abstinence, screening methods and the use of the Finnegan scoring tool to assess the severity of withdrawal signs and the importance of being reliable when scoring.

 

Learning Objectives:

After the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Define neonatal abstinence syndrome.
2. Identify the incidence and hospital costs of infants with NAS.
3. Describe the Finnegan scoring tool and how it is used to assess infants with NAS.

 

 

Part 2: Management of Neonatal Abstinence
Syndrome (NAS): Therapeutic Interventions

 

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 @ 12 PM ET

 

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) can be potentially severe and cause long hospital stays. Pharmacological interventions are commonly used as treatment and their safety and efficacy is continuing to be studied. Non-pharmacologic interventions and complementary therapies have also been documented. This presentation will discuss the pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic goals of treating infants with NAS. There will also be a discussion of the most common drugs used to manage signs of withdrawal and two different strategies, weight based vs sign based, to determine when pharmacologic treatment is needed.  Additionally, nurse-driven interventions including swaddling, kangaroo care, low stimuli and breastfeeding will also be discussed.

 

Learning Objectives:

After the completion of this activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Identify the goal of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment of NAS.
2. Discuss the nurse-driven interventions (non-pharmacologic) to support the infant with NAS
3. Describe two different strategies for treating infants with NAS pharmacologically

 

Bio:

 

Dr. Karen D'Apolito is currently the Director, Neonatal NP Specialty, School of Nursing at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and was instrumental in the development of neonatal nursing practice guidelines as Chairperson of the NANN Practice Committee. Dr. D’Apolito has also served on the Board of the National l Perinatal Association and functioned  as the Vice President for programs and Chair of the Advocacy Committee. Currently she is on the Executive Committee of the Academy of Neonatal Nursing.

 

In 2008, Dr. D'Apolito received the Individual Contribution to Maternal and Child Health Award from the National Perinatal Association for her work with drug-exposed infants. She has also developed an inter-observer reliability program for the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool. She served as co-investigator on a multi-site NIH Grant designed to assess the severity of withdrawal in neonates born to women who were randomly treated during pregnancy with either methadone or buprenorphine.

 

Her research interests are in the area of infant adaptation and chemical dependency. She has had many publications in these areas and has published on the topic of neonatal pain.

 

 

Continuing Education for Nurses

 

This education activity is approved for 1.0 Traditional contact hours. Provider approved by California Board of Nursing, Provider # 14477 and the Florida Board of Nursing Provider # 50-17032

 

This program has been approved for 1.0 Non-Traditional contact hours Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care, 9425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irving TX 75063

 

 

Continuing Education for Nurses
& Respiratory Therapists

 

This education activity is approved for 1.0 Non-Traditional contact hours. Provider approved by California Board of Nursing, Provider # 14477 and the Florida Board of Nursing Provider # 50-17032

 

This program has been approved for 1.0 Non-Traditional contact hours Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE) credit by the American Association for Respiratory Care, 9425 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irving TX 75063

 

 

 

Supported By Philips Healthcare

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