Affiliations: [a]
Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| [b]
Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| [c] Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Megan Elliott, 81 Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA. E-mail: mkr5k@virginia.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:
We aimed to describe our experience with gabapentin use in infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including neurodevelopmental follow-up after discharge. METHODS:
We performed a retrospective medical record review of infants prescribed gabapentin during admission to the University of Virginia NICU from 01/01/2015 to 04/30/2021. We report clinical characteristics including gabapentin indication, dosing and side-effects while in the NICU, discharge data, and assessments in outpatient developmental follow-up clinic. RESULTS:
Gabapentin was prescribed to 104 infants (median gestational age 29 weeks, median postmenstrual age at initiation 41 weeks). Sixty-one percent of infants were male. The primary indication was irritability in 86%, and 67% were receiving at least one other neurosedative medication. Median maximum dose was 25 mg/kg/day (IQR 15–35 mg/kg/day) and 84% were discharged home on gabapentin. The majority required equipment at discharge (64% gastrostomy or nasogastric tube feeds, 54% supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation, and 40% both). At the first neurodevelopmental follow-up appointment, at least one area of delay was identified in 93% of infants and by 2 years corrected age 66% had a diagnosis of global developmental delay. CONCLUSIONS:
NICU patients treated with gabapentin often require complex post-discharge care and require close neurodevelopmental follow up.
