Abstract
This Italian study evaluated whether painful procedures during the first four weeks of life were related to subsequent weight gain, head circumference (HC) and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants, METHODS: We evaluated the number of invasive procedures that infants born at less than 32weeks of gestational age (GA) underwent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Careggi Hospital, Florence, from January to December 2015. Weight and HC were recorded at birth, 36weeks of PMA and six and 12months of CA. Neurological outcomes were assessed at six and 12months of CA using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition. We studied 83 preterm infants with a GA of 28±2weeks and birth weight of 1098±340g. A higher number of invasive painful procedures were related to a lower HC standard deviation score at 36weeks of PMA and six and 12months of CA and with lower cognitive scores at six months. At 12months, the relationship only remained significant for infants born at less than 28weeks (p<0.001). Invasive painful procedures affected regular HC growth and short-term cognitive scores in preterm infants in the first year of life.
Published Version
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