A bedside technique for evaluating the behavioural response of healthy neonates to pain was assessed. Thirty six term infants (median gestational age 40 weeks; median postnatal age 4 days) and 31 preterm infants (median gestational age 34 weeks; median postnatal age 4 days) were assessed at the cotside for their response to heel preparation and heel lance for routine blood sampling. The facial ...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this trial was to investigate whether breast milk (either breastfed or bottle-fed) has a better analgesic effect than sucrose in newborns born at a postmenstrual age between 32 and 37 weeks. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial at a secondary care neonatal unit in the Netherlands on 71 preterm neonates (postmenstrual age at birth 32-37 weeks), undergoing...

Introduction: Pain in neonates is largely underestimated and neglected. Pain experience can alter clinical outcome, brain development and subsequent behavior in newborns. Numerous newborns undergo blood sampling routinely in nurseries/NICUs and these procedures are often done without pain relieving measures. Heel lancing and venepuncture are two common procedures for blood sampling in neonates....

conclusions kmc before and during heel lancing is a natural, easy to use, and cost-effective method to decrease pain in premature neonates. it is consistent with modern strategy of family-centered care in neonatal units. results the mean score of pain intensity during the intervention was significantly lower in the kmc position (p < 0/000). mean score of pain intensity at two minutes after inte...

BACKGROUND Skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been shown to be efficacious in diminishing pain response to heel lance in full term and moderately preterm neonates. The purpose of this study was to determine if KMC would also be efficacious in very preterm neonates. METHODS Preterm neonates (n = 61) between 28 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks gestational age in three Level III NICU's ...

Cutaneous flexion reflexes are amongst the first behavioural responses to develop and are essential for the protection and survival of the newborn organism. Despite this, there has been no detailed, quantitative study of their maturation in human neonates. Here we use surface electromyographic (EMG) recording of biceps femoris activity in preterm (<37 weeks gestation, GA) and term (≥ 37 weeks G...

OBJECTIVES Cobedding of preterm twin infants provides tactile, olfactory, and auditory stimulation and may affect pain reactivity. We carried out a randomized trial to assess the effect of cobedding on pain reactivity and recovery in preterm twin neonates. METHODS Stable preterm twins (n = 67 sets) between 28 and 36 weeks of gestational age were randomly assigned to a cobedding group (cared f...

OBJECTIVE To describe the use of heel blood sampling and non-pharmacological analgesia in a large representative sample of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in eight European countries, and compare their self-reported practices with evidence-based recommendations. METHODS Information on use of heel blood sampling and associated procedures (oral sweet solutions, non-nutritive sucking, swad...

Infant pain has both immediate and long-term negative consequences, yet in clinical practice it is often undertreated. To date, few pain-relieving drugs have been tested in infants. Morphine is a potent analgesic that provides effective pain relief in adults, but there is inconclusive evidence for its effectiveness in infants. The purpose of this study is to establish whether oral morphine prov...