Project Summary/Abstract Maternal use and addiction to opioids has resulted in an unprecedented rise in drug withdrawal complications in newborns known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), also referred to as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Between 2004 and 2016, NOWS admissions increased more than fourfold with an average hospital stay nearly 3.2 times longer (15.9 hospital days compared with 4.98) than for a non-NOWS patient resulting in a surge in annual costs to almost $573 million with 83% attributed to state Medicaid programs (Strahan, 2019). While there is no accepted standard for treating NAS, non-pharmacological bundles are recommended as an initial course of treatment moving to pharmacological care when required. Unfortunately, non-pharmacological care (swaddling, rocking, frequent feedings, and skin contact) require significant use of human resources (Theilking, 2017). To reduce the increasing burden on limited resources, the evidence emerges that hospitals are trying to adapt baby products for consumers that were neither intended nor tested for use in NAS infants as part of their non-pharmacological bundle. The objective of this application is to establish the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of our hospital bassinet pad with stochastic vibrotactile stimulation (SVS) technology as an adjunctive, non-pharmacological treatment to improve the care of infants with NOWS. In phase one, we demonstrated technical feasibility, replicating the clinically critical stimulation of an investigational device reported to significantly reduce hyperirritability and pathophysiological instabilities without altering sleep states in NOW infants at a cost below $250/unit. We demonstrated commercial feasibility introducing the device to 51 healthcare professionals with over 70% indicating they would use the device as an adjunct to or replace non- pharmacological bundles. To accomplish the objective, we plan to execute the following specific aims; 1) determine the efficacy of the SVS hospital bassinet pad, 2) demonstrate the safety of the SVS hospital bassinet pad, and 3) assess acceptability of the device with clinical staff and parents caring for infants with NOWS. Efficacy will be established through a clinical study with NOWS infants who have reached severity criteria for pharmacological treatment using the modified Finnegan scoring method. Cardio-respiratory monitoring will capture measurements allowing comparison of periods when SVS is on or off. With each infant serving as its own control, the primary outcome measure will be the stability of cardiorespiratory control. In addition to non- clinical product testing, safety will be demonstrated by scoring sleep state durations with a masked trained reviewer of high-resolution video recordings. A change of 20% in the duration of quiet sleep when SVS is on compared to off will be considered significant. Acceptability will be assessed with interviews completed by clinical staff and parents measuring their perceptions on ease of use, infant comfort, and interest in future use of the device. The successful completion of the project will provide data to support FDA clearance for commercialization of our low-cost, non-pharmacological device to improve the clinical course of newborns with NOWS.

NARRATIVE The project will establish the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of our SVS hospital bassinet pad as a low-cost medical device for use in the hospital to improve the clinical course of newborns with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Infants diagnosed with NOWS experience difficult symptoms, including excessive crying, irritability, rapid breathing, and heart rates, tremors, and sometimes seizures. If successful, the device will provide a complementary non-pharmacological treatment improving outcomes while reducing the burden on caregivers, families, and others who care and pay for the cost to treat neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome infants.