Patrick honored for neonatal abstinence syndrome research

Stephen W. Patrick, M.D., MPH, MS, has been chosen to receive the Nemours Child Health Services Research Award, recognizing his work surrounding neonatal abstinence syndrome, a drug withdrawal syndrome experienced by infants exposed to opioids while in utero.

VUMC study shows cesarean patients sent home from hospital with more narcotic pain medications than needed

Most women who undergo a cesarean childbirth are prescribed more opioid (narcotic) pain medications than needed upon release from the hospital, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center study shows.

American Academy of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt neonatologist urge public health approach for women who use opioids during pregnancy

Protocol standardizes care for pregnant women on opiates

Complications related to opioid abuse occur in 54,000 pregnancies annually in the United States, and Tennessee ranks among the top 10 states in the number of opioid-dependent pregnant women.

Babies born with opioid withdrawal disproportionately increasing in rural areas

An increasing number of newborns are being born with drug withdrawal symptoms from opioids in rural areas of the United States as compared to births in urban areas, according to a JAMA Pediatrics study.

Drug dependency clinic set to open in Springfield

As Tennessee’s opioid epidemic escalates and the prevalence of opiate dependency in pregnancy continues to require additional resources, Vanderbilt will open another Drug Dependency Clinic at the Vanderbilt Center for Women’s Health at NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield, Tennessee.