Dr. Dr. McMillin is a professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She received her PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Utah and is certified by the American Board of Clinical Chemistry in clinical chemistry and toxicological chemistry. She is a member of ARUP’s R&D Executive Committee, and is actively involved in professional associations such as the International Association of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Chemistry (IATDMCT), the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Her primary interests include detection of neonatal drug exposures, pain management, and clinical applications and implementation of pharmacogenomics.
Timely detection of in utero drug exposure is critical for effective detection and management of intoxication, withdrawal syndrome, and long-term needs (social and medical) for exposed neonates. Two modes of testing are available: umbilical cord tissue and meconium.
Chain-of-custody may not be required:
Umbilical cord and meconium drug tests are performed to support clinical and social management decisions, and do not usually require chain-of-custody.
If chain-of-custody is required, ARUP can provide a specimen tracking form to help authenticate the specimen collection and transport process, if desired. Contact ARUP Client Services for more information.
Meconium
ARUP Test Code 0092516
Meconium is the traditional specimen to detect and document maternal drug use during pregnancy, approximately the last trimester of a full-term birth. ARUP’s neonatal drug testing in meconium is a qualitative immunoassay screen for nine drug classes. Specimens testing positive for one or more drugs are reflexed to highly sensitive and specific mass spectrometry technology for confirmation.
Drugs and Drug Metabolites Reported
| Opioids | Stimulants | Sedatives/Hypnotics | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
|
buprenorphine |
methamphetamine |
alprazolam |
cannabis (THC) metabolite |
Umbilical Cord Tissue
| Test Number | Test Name |
|---|---|
| 2006621 | Drug Detection Panel, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative |
| 3000256 | Marijuana Metabolite, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative |
| 3000443 | Ethyl Glucuronide, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative |
Umbilical cord tissue is a relatively new specimen to detect and document maternal drug use during pregnancy, approximately the last trimester of a fullterm birth. ARUP’s neonatal drug testing in umbilical cord tissue is based on highly sensitive and specific qualitative liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) .
Drugs and Drug Metabolites Reported in Drug Detection Panel, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative (2006621)
| Opioids | Stimulants | Sedatives/Hypnotics | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
|
buprenorphine |
methamphetamine |
7-amino clonazepam |
phencyclidine (PCP) |
Additional Resources
- Umbilical Cord Tissue Collection and Testing A digital version of trifold focused on umbilical cord collection and testing to determine what drugs babies have been exposed to while in utero.
- ARUP Consult: Newborn Drug Testing ARUP offers testing of two specimen types for newborn drug testing – umbilical cord tissue and meconium.
- ARUP Consult: Clinical Toxicology Testing Clinical toxicology in the laboratory sphere deals with the identification of chemicals, drugs, or toxins
- Newborn Drug Testing, Brochure Discusses features and benefits of newborn drug testing;
- Drug Cut-off Limits for Meconium and Umbilical Cord Drug test table Meconium and umbilical cord
- Drug Detection Panel, Umbilical Cord Tissue, Qualitative Detects and documents maternal drug use during approximately the last trimester of a full term birth.
- Umbilical Cord Collection Instructions Provides overview of Umbilical Cord Tissue Collection For Drug Testing at ARUP
- Monitoring Pain Management Medications in Pregnancy and the Neonate Presented by: Gwen McMillin, PhD - Medical Director, Toxicology and Pharmacogenetics, ARUP Laboratories 2017
- Umbilical Cord Collection Video ARUP Laboratories, Published on Feb 26, 2018. Umbilical cord collection instructions for abused drug testing in newborns.
- If Baby Could Talk: Laboratory Detection of Prenatal Drug Exposure Presented by Gwen McMillin, PhD. Meconium and umbilical cord can detect drug-exposed newborns
- Spotlight on Testing: Drug Testing with Umbilical Cord Tissue Presented by Gwen McMillin, PhD
Expertise
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Medical Director, Toxicology Laboratory and Pharmacogenetics
