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Food intake and oral sucrose in preterms prior to heel prick
Author(s) -
Storm H,
Fremming A
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2002.tb03276.x
Subject(s) - medicine , crying , heel , heart rate , gestational age , anesthesia , sucrose , skin conductance , physiology , blood pressure , pregnancy , food science , chemistry , genetics , psychiatry , biology , biomedical engineering , anatomy
To investigate the soothing effect of feeding on infants in distress, the effects of 2mL 15% and 1 mL 25% sucrose given orally 2 min before heel prick in fasting preterms to reduce the pain response were assessed. The effects of milk intake by nasogastric tube were also assessed once during the last hour before heel prick, and the effects of milk intake by nasogastric tube once during the last hour before heel prick together with 1 mL 25% sucrose given orally 2 min before heel prick. The pain response was measured as changes in crying time, behavioural state, skin conductance and heart rate. Each group included 12 healthy preterm infants with a median gestational age of 32 wk and a median postnatal age of 14 d. These infants were randomly studied twice; one in connection with the intervention and once after being given sterilized water. Differences in the measured variables before and during heel prick showed that only the crying time was reduced when the infants received milk or 25% sucrose prior to heel prick ( p > 0.05). If the infants received milk and 25% sucrose before heel prick, the crying time and the level of behavioural state were reduced ( p > 0.05). The increase from before to during heel prick in skin conductance (number and amplitude of the waves) and heart rate correlated with the crying time ( p > 0.01). Conclusion : This study supports the hypothesis that sucrose has an antinociceptive effect and suggests that food should also be given to preterm neonates prior to procedural pain.