Non pharmacological pain relief in newborn infant

Abstract EN

Background : healthy newborn infants usually are not given any analgesics for painful procedures because of the concerns of side effects.

Several non-pharmacological methods were found to be effective for analgesia during minor procedures in neonates.

Aims : the purpose of this study was to assess and compare the analgesic effect of orally administered 25% dextrose alone and dextrose solution followed by a pacifier during minor painful procedures in neonates.

Methods : one hundred and five healthy term newborns were randomly enrolled into three groups.

Group 1 received sweet solution only (1ml of dextrose 25%), group 2, received dextrose solution followed by a pacifier and, group 3 who did not receive anything as a control group.

Each group had 35 subjects.

Pain was assessed by Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scale.

Results : the mean pain scores were (8.09 + 1.9, 3.23 + 2.5, and 9.66 ± 2.6) in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

(P- value: 0.000).

Mean Heart rate was highly significantly lower in group 2 after heel stick compared with that before sticking and was also significantly lower in group l.

Mean heart rate before heel stick (1-28 + 17,070, 132 ± 15.827, and 125J:15.269L respectively.

Mean heart rate after sticking (137 ± 22.605, 126 ± 18.062, and 138 + 25.122), for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

P values were 0.034 and 0.000, for groups and 2, respectively).

Conclusion: We conclude that giving glucose 25 % followed by a pacifier is superior to giving glucose solution 25 % alone in relieving neonatal pain during heel stick.