Many pregnant women in the Appalachian Highlands region utilize buprenorphine as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. This treatment is a tool used by medical teams to minimize patients’ drug cravings and optimize chances for a healthy pregnancy. Providers in our region have posited a relationship between MAT use and poor pregnancy weight gain based on clinical experience and observation. Appropriate weight gain in pregnancy is a critical determinant of pregnancy health; without it, pregnant mothers will possibly need nutritional supplementation. Therefore, understanding the association between buprenorphine use and weight gain may contribute to healthier pregnancies.
In order to evaluate the association between buprenorphine use and weight gain in pregnant women using MAT, we conducted a retrospective chart review. A list of potential participants was generated by ETSU Population Health using ICD-10 codes. We enrolled patients who were cared for by ETSU Health and delivered babies between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2021: a total of 504 patients. Of these, 96 were participants in the ETSU low-dose MAT clinic (Group 1), 109 were receiving MAT from other community clinics (Group 2), 97 were non-smoking women in the regular OB clinic (Group 3), and 202 were smoking women in the regular OB clinic (Group 4). Participants’ medical records were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were over age 18 with singleton pregnancies, had pregnancy care initiated in the first trimester, and delivered at or after 37 weeks’ gestation. Patients with confounding medical conditions including (but not limited to) Crohn’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, fetal anomalies, or IUFD were excluded. In addition, patients were also excluded with BMI >30 or undocumented BMI, prenatal care initiated after the first trimester, transfer to another practice or lost to follow up, or other documented drug abuse other than opiate use disorder. After consideration of the above criteria, 262 patients were excluded and 242 patients remained in the study. Of these, 53 were in Group 1, 53 in Group 2, 45 in Group 3, and 90 in Group 4. All protected health information was stored in the ETSU HIPAA-compliant REDCap server.
At this time, the project is in the data analysis stage, with results expected by the end of March 2023. If an association between buprenorphine use and lower weight gain in pregnancy is discovered, these results can be used to recommend additional measures such as nutritional supplementation to optimize maternal and fetal health during pregnancy.
Final conclusions will be drawn after data analysis is complete and associations, or lack thereof, can be fully evaluated. Based on observations of obstetric providers in the region, some association between lower weight gain and buprenorphine use is anticipated.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-2142 |
| Date | 25 April 2023 |
| Creators | Knoll, Olivia, BS, Hankins, Kaley H, BS, Weishaar, Kara, MD, Olsen, Martin, MD |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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