Georgia O’Leary Discusses Auricular Neurostimulation for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal (Video)

Overview: Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) is a condition that occurs in newborns who are exposed to opioids in utero via maternal transmission.  NOWS symptoms include: high-pitched crying, tremors, gastrointestinal dysfunction, hypertonicity and sleep disturbances. Unfortunately, maternal opioid use rates have quadrupled from 1999 to 2014, increasing NOWS cases with limited advancements in treatment options. The primary treatment for NOWS is opioid replacement (oral morphine administration). Morphine, however is neurotoxic and has developmental consequences in infants. There is a need for non-opioid treatments for NOWS and in this study, we explore the use of neurostimulation as an adjuvant to morphine to reduce the duration of morphine treatment. Using a novel wearable ear stimulation system known as Transcutaneous Auricular Neurostimulation (tAN), we predict we may accelerate the weaning of morphine treatment and reduce the opioid burden in newborns with NOWS.