St. Charles neonatologist explains effects of fentanyl, other opiates on newborns

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- We're following up on a story we reported on earlier this week, when Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair told NewsChannel 21 she heard from a county circuit court judge that St. Charles Bend has seen six infants who were born with fentanyl in their system in the past three months.

While the hospital did confirm they were aware of Adair's claim and have seen and cared for newborns with fentanyl in their system, they wouldn't confirm an exact number.

NewsChannel 21 spoke Friday with neonatologist Dr. Bob Pfister, who works in the neonatal ICU at St. Charles Bend, to learn more about the drug's effects on newborns.

Some of the effects newborns might experience if they were exposed to fentanyl in the womb is "pitched cry, increased tone, irritability, difficulty sleeping, difficulty feeding," among other things, according to Pfister.

A neonatologist is a health care provider who specializes in premature babies, or newborns with high-risk or complex health conditions.

According to Pfister, while fentanyl doesn't directly cause birth defects, it can cause signs of discomfort in babies.

"The common urine drug screen that we used to use didn't actually show fentanyl," he said. "So we're now using a different drug screen that does catch fentanyl. So in other words, it's very easy to find it by routine testing."

Due to the ever-rising opiate crisis that's currently sweeping the nation, Pfister says St. Charles now uses an "eat, sleep, console" method, to help treat infants who have opiates in their system.

"We now actually pivot to try to get them in a low-stimulation environment, kind of in a quiet environment," he said. "We keep them skin to skin as much as possible. We keep them swaddled, we breast-feed when possible."

Even with all of this, Pfister says exposure to opiates in the womb may not be the deciding factor in potential long-term negative effects on babies.

"Growth restriction and developmental delay tend to largely be explained by the environment" in which the babies grow up, he said.

Pfister says that fentanyl withdrawals in newborns is not much different than withdrawal symptoms seen in adults.

He also explained that withdrawal from fentanyl in particular in newborns is no different than from any other hard drug.