Non-pharmacological measures for pain relief in venipuncture in newborns: description of behavioral and physiological responses

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Venipuncture is considered a painful procedure, often performed in the neonatal intensive care unit. The objective of this study is to describe the behavioral and physiological responses of newborns undergoing venipuncture, with and without the use of non-pharmacological measures for the relief of pain. METHODS: A total of 84 newborns participated in this research. It was observed if the nurse prepared the newborn for the puncture. Newborns that did not receive the non-pharmacological approach were allocated in group 1, and those who received were to group 2. The behavioral and physiological parameters were assessed two minutes before and two minutes after the procedure in all newborns. The data analysis was descriptive. RESULTS: Before the procedure, 45.5% of the newborns in group 1 had a contracted face; however, after the procedure, this number increased to 69.7%. After the procedure in group 2, 29.4% grumbled, 3.9% had a vigorous cry, 66.7% did not cry. Arms and legs movement had similar responses in both groups. After the procedure, 72.7% of newborns in group 1 had a heart rate higher than 160bpm. After the procedure in group 1, 15.2% had an oxygen saturation between 96 and 100% and this value increase to 58.8% in group 2. CONCLUSION: The behavioral and physiological responses presented by the newborns are altered when babies undergo venipuncture without the use of measures for the relief of pain, the most common being: contracted face; grumbling; arms and legs flexed/extended; tachycardia; and hyposaturation.