Objective
To examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal substance abuse and neonatal outcomes.
Study design
Cross-sectional observational study of neonates admitted to the NICU and born to mothers with evidence of substance abuse pre-pandemic compared to during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Result
We noted a significant increase in fentanyl (12% vs. 0.6%,
p
< 0.001) and tobacco use (64% vs. 33%,
p
< 0.001) during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic, including an increase in fentanyl use among mothers enrolled in opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) during the pandemic (32.3% vs. 1.5%,
p
< 0.001). There was a significant increase in preterm births (58% vs. 48%,
p
= 0.022) and lower birth weight (2315 ± 815 vs. 2455 ± 861 g,
p
= 0.049) during pandemic.
Conclusion
There was a significant increase in maternal fentanyl use during the pandemic, even with OMT enrollment, with an increase in preterm births and lower birth weights among infants born to mothers with substance use.
Background: Autograft or allograft frequently are used to enhance bone union in foot and ankle surgery. Viable cellular bone allograft uses viable cells and bone scaffolding in a gel base, but uncertainty remains around allograft’s greater efficacy than autograft regarding rates of fusion (ROF) and time to fusion (TTF). Methods: Autograft, viable cellular allograft, and viable cellular allograft with autograft were compared in 199 forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot arthrodeses performed over a 6-year period. Data collected from electronic medical records and radiographs were analyzed to determine ROF and TTF as well as rates of revision surgery for delayed or nonunion and compared among groups. Results: Eighty-seven patients comprised the autograft group, 81 the allograft group, and 31 the combined group. No significant differences were noted in patient demographics among the groups. No statistically significant differences in ROF were noted among the 3 groups, with 86% (75 of 87) fusion in the autograft group, 93% (75 of 81) in the allograft group, and 84% (26 of 31) in the combined group ( P = .20). After conducting a multivariate analysis, we found no statistically significant difference for allograft or combined graft on TTF ( P = .1379 and .2311, respectively). No significant difference was found in rate of revision surgery for nonunion, which was 1.2% (1 of 81) in the allograft group, 3.4% (3 of 87) in the autograft group, and 6.5% (2 of 31) in the combined group ( P = .3). Conclusion: No significant difference was found in ROF, TTF, or rate of revision surgery when comparing viable cellular allograft to autograft or combined allograft-autograft. Viable cellular allograft may be a reasonable alternative to the gold standard of autograft and should be considered an option in patients undergoing arthrodesis in foot and ankle surgery. Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic.
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