Efficacy and Outcomes of a Non-Pharmacological Intervention for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

May 30, 2025 updated by: Elisabeth B Salisbury

A Randomized Controlled Study of Stochastic Vibrotactile Stimulation for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Therapeutic Efficacy and Neurobehavioral Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a specially-constructed crib mattress that delivers gentle vibrations (stochastic vibrotactile stimulation) as a complementary, non-pharmacological intervention for treating drug withdrawal in newborns exposed to opioids in utero.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study will test the therapeutic efficacy of stochastic vibrotactile stimulation (SVS) for reducing withdrawal symptoms, pharmacological treatment and hospitalization, and for improving neurobehavioral developmental outcomes in opioid-exposed newborns.

Candidates at-risk for NAS due opioid exposure in utero will be identified to investigators by medical caregiver and/or prescreened using HIPAA Waiver for recruitment (maternal-prenatal; infant-postnatal). Infants will be randomized into either SVS (complementary to standard of care) or Treatment as Usual (TAU), restricted by equipment (mattress) availability. Infants will be enrolled and assigned to a condition within 48 hours post birth and participate throughout hospitalization. Infants assigned SVS will receive daily intervention of continuous intervals of SVS throughout hospitalization using a specially constructed crib mattress that delivers gentle vibrations at preset intervals.

Specific Aim 1. Determine the efficacy of SVS as a non-pharmacological therapy complementary to standard of care for reducing severity and duration of opioid withdrawal in newborns compared to TAU alone. Quantify clinical variables: NAS severity, treatment days, days in hospital, velocity of weight gain, cumulative morphine dose.

Specific Aim 2. Compare neurobehavioral outcomes in fetal drug-exposed infants between infants who received SVS and those who received TAU. Longitudinal outcomes assessment at 6-months and 1 year to test whether early intervention with SVS compared to standard care improves physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
208

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

1 hour to 1 year (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Eligible subjects are infants currently in the NICU or Newborn Nursery at University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital or at Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC and:

  • Full-term infants (≥37 wks gestational age)
  • Newborns at risk for NAS due to opioid-exposure in utero
  • At-risk infants will be infants who present with confirmed meconium and/or urine toxicology report and/or documented medical record for opioids (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine/subutex, oxycodone, heroin); may also have prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines, cannabinoids, alcohol, nicotine and/or caffeine.

Exclusion Criteria: Eligible infants meeting the inclusion criteria above will be excluded from participation in the study if he/she:

  • Born less than <37weeks.
  • Has a clinically significant congenital abnormality
  • Has a clinically significant fetal anomaly
  • Has hydrocephalus or intraventricular hemorrhage >grade 2
  • Has a seizure disorder not related to drug withdrawal
  • Has a clinically significant cardiac shunt
  • Has anemia (hemoglobin<8g/dL)
  • Requires mechanical respiratory support
  • Has MRSA or infection at time of the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Stochastic Vibrotactile Stimulation (SVS)
Infants randomized to this arm will receive daily intervals of continuous SVS (ON) and no SVS (OFF) throughout hospitalization, starting within 48-hrs post birth. SVS will be complementary to standard of clinical care (e.g., clinically-determined pharmacological management; routine parental/volunteer holding; breast and/or bottle feed).
Device: Stochastic Vibrotactile Stimulation (SVS)
Infant crib mattress will be replaced with a specially constructed mattress (non-commercially available) to provide gentle, stochastic vibration during mattress stimulations.
No Intervention: Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Infants randomized to this arm will be enrolled within 48-hours post birth and receive treatment as usual (TAU)- standard of clinical care (e.g., clinically-determined pharmacological management, routine/volunteer holding; breast and/or bottle feed). Infants will not receive any SVS.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Participants Administered Morphine Treatment
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their newborn nursery stay, which is an expected mean of 7 days

Number of infants treated with morphine (first line pharmacotherapy at both sites).

Number of infants who received pharmacotherapy (met clinical criteria to treat), index of NAS severity (per Finnegan scores).
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their newborn nursery stay, which is an expected mean of 7 days
Cumulative Pharmacological Treatment- Morphine Dose
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Normalized cumulative morphine dose for infants who completed treatment at respective hospital site (mg/kg).
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Hospitalization Length of Stay
Time Frame: Day of life infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.

Day of life discharged home for untreated and treated infants who completed hospitalization at study site.

Duration of infant hospitalization-Days
Day of life infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.
Hospitalization Length of Stay for Untreated Infants
Time Frame: Day of life untreated infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.

Day of life discharged home for untreated infants (infants whose Finnegan scores did not meet criteria to treat) who completed hospitalization at study site.

Duration of infant hospitalization-Days
Day of life untreated infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.
Hospitalization Length of Stay for Treated Infants
Time Frame: Day of life treated infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.

Day of life discharged home for treated infants (infants whose Finnegan scores met criteria to treat) who completed hospitalization at study site.

Duration of infant hospitalization-Days
Day of life treated infants discharged home, which is an expected mean of 21 days.
Length of Pharmacological Treatment-Duration
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
For infants who received pharmacotherapy, total days of morphine treatment.
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Trajectory of Symptom Severity Among Treated Infants
Time Frame: Day of life infant started morphine treatment
Days to start morphine treatment based on Finnegan severity scores among infants who met clinical criteria to treat
Day of life infant started morphine treatment
Velocity of Weight Gain
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Weight loss precedes weight gain in newborns. Days to weight nadir, defined as the lowest weight following birthweight. Velocity of weight gain was measured as days to return to birthweight, i.e., the day on which weight reached or surpassed birthweight following initial weight loss from birth.
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Neurobehavioral Outcomes Assessment
Time Frame: 6 month and 12 months of life
Scores for Cognitive Domain Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition. The standardized scores have a mean of 100 and standard deviation (SD) of 15. Scores below 1 SD (= or less than 84) is considered below normal. Scores above 1 SD (>115) represent higher than normal functioning.
6 month and 12 months of life

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Velocity of weight gain
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Trajectory of weight gain throughout hospitalization-Days to return to birth weight
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Hospitalization length of stay
Time Frame: Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days
Duration of infant hospitalization
Participants will be monitored for the duration of their hospitalization, which is an expected mean of 21 days

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Respiratory Rate
Time Frame: Assess respiratory rate for about 12 consecutive hours at week 1 of infant hospitalization
Respiratory rate at 1 week of age assessed for about 12 consecutive hours in a subset of subjects
Assess respiratory rate for about 12 consecutive hours at week 1 of infant hospitalization

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Elisabeth B Salisbury

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
University of Pittsburgh
University of Massachusetts, Worcester

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Elisabeth B Salisbury, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 9, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 5, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 6, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 9, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 15, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 30, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY21040054
  • 1R01DA042074-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Clinical Trials on Stochastic Vibrotactile Stimulation (SVS)

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings