Perinatal toxicology screening: comparison of various maternal and neonatal samples.

OBJECTIVES

Because cocaine metabolites are concentrated in amniotic fluid, we designed this study to assess the usefulness of amniotic fluid and that of neonatal gastric aspirate for perinatal drug screening and to compare the concentration of cocaine metabolites in various maternal and neonatal specimens.

STUDY DESIGN

We compared the reliability of various maternal and neonatal specimens for detecting drug exposure and the concentration of cocaine metabolites in these specimens.

RESULTS

Our data showed that screening for perinatal drug abuse with any single specimen leads to false-negative results. Drug screening with neonatal amniotic fluid, gastric aspirate, or cord blood did not improve the reliability of perinatal drug screening.

CONCLUSION

Testing more than one type of body fluid may increase the reliability of perinatal drug screening.