Effect of nicotine patches in pregnancy on infant and maternal outcomes at 2 years: follow-up from the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled SNAP trial -

Effect of nicotine patches in pregnancy on infant and maternal outcomes at 2 years: follow-up from the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled SNAP trial
Information type: Randomised controlled trials
Source: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine
Specialities: Mental health and illness | Obstetrics and gynaecology | Respiratory disorders
Summary
This follow-up of the SNAP study found that infants born to women randomised to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy were more likely to have unimpaired development than those randomised to placebo at 2 years. NRT had no effect on prolonged abstinence from smoking.
UKMi comment
The authors of this research note that although NRT did not have any statistically significant effect on prolonged abstinence from smoking versus placebo (3% vs. 2% at 2 years), it did cause a temporary doubling of smoking cessation shortly after randomisation during pregnancy. They suggest that this may explain the observed improved outcomes, and that this finding should be further evaluated through reassessment of the infants later in childhood.
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