Effects of Partially Hydrolyzed Formula on Severity and Outcomes of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Objective âThis study compares the effect of partially hydrolyzed formula (PHF) and standard formula (SF) on the severity and short-term outcomes of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Study Design âWe performed a retrospective chart review of 124 opioid-dependent mothers and their term or near-term infants. Infants were categorized according to the predominant type of formula consumed during the hospital stay. Finnegan's scale was used to assess symptoms of withdrawal. Results âA total of 110 infants met our inclusion criteria. Thirty-four (31%) infants were fed predominantly PHF, 60 (54%) infants were fed SF, and 16 (15%) infants were fed maternal breast milk. There was no difference between the infants in the PHF and SF groups with respect to requirement of morphine (MSO ₄) therapy, maximum dose of MSO ₄used, duration of MSO ₄treatment or length of hospital stay after performing multivariate analyses to control for type of drug used by the mother, maternal smoking, regular prenatal care, inborn status, and maximum Finnegan score prior to MSO ₄treatment. Conclusion âUse of PHF failed to impact short-term outcomes in infants treated for NAS including maximum MSO ₄dose, duration of MSO ₄treatment, and length of hospital stay. A prospective randomized controlled trial may be indicated to confirm this finding.