Do They Check for Drugs When U Have a Baby in the State of Kansas

Indications for Testing

Newborn drug testing is recommended in infants born to mothers with high-risk behaviors (eg, history of drug use/abuse, prostitution, nicotine use), minimal or no prenatal care, or unexplained obstetric events (eg, placental abruption, premature labor).

Additionally, infants with unexplained neurologic complications, unexpected intrauterine growth retardation, or drug withdrawal symptoms (eg, NAS) should be tested for drug exposure.

Available Specimen Types

ARUP offers newborn drug testing for two specimen types: umbilical cord tissue and meconium. Urine as a specimen type for neonatal drug testing has limited success; the first void is often missed because it may occur during or immediately after delivery. Urine tests generally detect only recent maternal drug use in the days before delivery.

Newborn Drug Testing Specimen Types
Meconium Umbilical Cord Tissue

First stool of the newborn

Begins to form at ~12-16 wks gestation

Accumulates over remainder of pregnancy (nonlinear process)

Usually passes within 48 hrs of birth

Used for drug testing for ~25 yrs

Collection requires coordinated efforts and may not be available

Drug detection in meconium depends on many factors (eg, quality and completeness of collection, drug use patterns)

Forms ~5th wk of gestation

Grows with fetus throughout pregnancy (nonlinear process)

Easy to collect at time of birth

Drugs appear to deposit consistently across length of cord

Concentrations of drug analytes are lower in cord than in meconium, but can be detected with appropriate methodology

Drug detection in cord tissue depends on many factors (eg, quality and completeness of collection, drug use patterns)

NOTE: Umbilical cord tissue and meconium drug tests are performed to support clinical and social management decisions and do not usually require chain of custody. ARUP offers a specimen tracking form for documentation of the collection, handling, and shipping of specimens. Contact ARUP Client Services for more information.

Sources: Wabuyele, 2018 ; Wu, 2018

There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to use umbilical cord tissue or meconium for drug testing.

Umbilical Cord Tissue vs Meconium Testing
Factors to Consider Umbilical Cord Tissue Meconium

Preferred process for collection is at birth, for all infants; test immediately for high-risk births, store for low-risk births

Collection based on need (eg, history of drug exposure, maternal urine screen results, NAS symptoms/diagnosis)

Tracking of specimen collection and handling process required

Fastest available time to result when positive results are expected

Traditional testing approach (screen with reflex to confirmation testing) preferred

Most sensitive and definitive testing for cannabis use

Most sensitive and definitive testing for heroin use

Preferred for the detection of gabapentin, fentanyl, meperidine, propoxyphene, tramadol, tapentadol, phentermine, and/or zolpidem

Meconium specimen is limited or unavailable

Cord tissue specimen is limited or unavailable

ARUP Umbilical Cord Tissue Testing

Routine analysis by the ARUP drug detection panel includes qualitative detection by mass spectrometric methods for all compounds (eg, opioids, stimulants, sedative-hypnotics). The presence of metabolites improves confidence in results and lengthens the detection window. Umbilical cord testing is thought to reflect maternal drug use during approximately the last trimester of a full-term birth. Tests to detect marijuana metabolite and ethyl glucuronide (alcohol metabolite) are available separately from the panel.

Further Resources

  • Umbilical cord tissue collection instructions
  • Umbilical cord tissue collection video
  • Test Fact Sheets: ARUP Drug Detection Panel, Umbilical Cord Tissue (Qualitative) and Ethyl Glucuronide, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative

ARUP Meconium Testing

Routine analysis by the ARUP panel test includes a qualitative screen for nine drug classes; specimens that test positive for one or more drugs are reflexed to confirmatory testing by highly sensitive and specific mass spectrometric methods. Directed (confirmation only) tests are available when only one drug class is of clinical interest or when the quantity of meconium available for testing is very small (ie, <1 g).

The panel is the preferred meconium test to detect and document maternal drug use during pregnancy (approximately the last trimester of a full-term birth). Targeted single drug-class testing is appropriate if only a particular drug class or classes are of clinical interest, or when the quantity of meconium available for testing is very small (ie, <1 g).

Evaluation and Interpretation of Results

Drugs administered to the mother during labor and delivery may be detected in meconium or umbilical cord tissue. Drugs administered to the newborn after birth may be detected in meconium if the meconium is collected after drug administration.

Negative results do not exclude the possibility that the mother used drugs during pregnancy; only the drugs targeted by the testing can be detected. Maternal history and urine testing may also identify a possible infant drug exposure and should be used in combination with other laboratory results and the infant's clinical presentation to diagnose a drug exposure.

Specimen variations can contribute to false-negative results. When definitive analytical methods (eg, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry [LC-MS/MS], gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS]) are used, false-positive results are extremely unlikely.

Refer to the Drug Testing topic for test result interpretation organized by drug class.

Further Resources

Opioid Metabolic Pathway

Graphic of opiates and metabolites, including poppy seeds and heroin. Oxycodone has its own metabolite pathway.

Benzodiazepine Metabolic Pathway

Graphic of Benzodiazepine metabolic pathways. One metabolite can indicate several different benzodiazepines.

Do They Check for Drugs When U Have a Baby in the State of Kansas

Source: https://arupconsult.com/content/newborn-drug-testing

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