Infant Pain Research Articles

Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure.

(1) Background: Preterm infants spend their first weeks of life in the hospital partially separated from their parents and subjected to frequent potentially painful clinical procedures. Previous research has found that early vocal contact reduces infant pain perception while simultaneously increasing oxytocin (OXT) levels. The current study aims to assess the effect of maternal singing and speaking on mothers. (2) Methods: During a painful procedure over two days, twenty preterm infants were randomly exposed to their mother's live voice (speaking or singing). Maternal OXT levels were measured twice: before and after singing, as well as before and after speaking. The anxiety and resilience responses of mothers were studied before and after the two-day interventions, regardless of the speaking/singing condition. OXT levels in mothers increased in response to both singing and speech. Concurrently, anxiety levels decreased, but no significant effects on maternal resilience were found. (3) Conclusions: OXT could be identified as a key mechanism for anxiety regulation in parents, even in sensitive care situations, such as when their infant is in pain. Active involvement of parents in the care of their preterm infants can have a positive effect on their anxiety as well as potential benefits to their sensitivity and care abilities through OXT.

The effect of regional massage performed before blood collection on pain and vital signs in newborns.

This randomised-controlled trialaims to examine the effect of regional massage performed before blood collection on pain and vital signs in term newborns. The studysample consisted of a total of 96 term newborns, 49 in the experimental group and 47 in the control group, in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Before the blood collection process, those in the experimental group received two (2) minutes of massage on their blood collection region, and their pain levels and vital signs were observed. Data were collected using a newborn information form, an intervention follow-up form, and the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). Statistical analyses of the collected data included descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, independent-samples t test, paired-samples t test and Cohen's kappa statistic. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. While 51% (n=49) of the newborns were included in the experimental group, 38.5% (n=37) were born at the 38th gestational week. Their mean post-natal age was 4.82 ± 4.04 days. The newborns in the experimental and control groups had similar demographic characteristics and blood collection experiences, and there was no statistically significant difference between them (P > 0.05). The mean crying time in the control group (56.9 ± 25.4s) was significantly longer than that in the experimental group (30.6 ± 29.3s) (P < 0.05). The newborns in the experimental group had shorter crying times, lower pain levels and heart rate, and higher oxygen saturation than those in the control group. The regional massage intervention reduced pain in term newborns. Therefore, neonatal nurses can be trained to use massage as an alternative infant care practice.

The effectiveness of repeated sucrose for procedural pain in neonates in a longitudinal observational study.

To determine the analgesic effectiveness of repeated sucrose administration for skin-breaking (SB) procedures over the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization of preterm infants. Longitudinal observational study, conducted in four level III Canadian NICUs. Eligible infants were <32 weeks gestational age at birth, and <10 days of life at enrollment. Infants received 24% sucrose (0.12 ml) prior to all painful procedures. The Premature Infant Pain Profile - Revised (PIPP-R) was used at 30 and 60 seconds after a medically-required SB procedure as soon as possible after enrollment and weekly up to three additional times for scheduled procedures. 172 infants (57.3% male, gestational age 28.35 (±2.31) weeks) were included. The mean 30 s PIPP-R scores were 6.11 (±3.68), 5.76 (±3.41), 6.48 (±3.67), and 6.81 (±3.69) respectively; there were no statistically significant interactions of study site by time (p = 0.31) or over time (p = 0.15). At 60 s, mean PIPP-R scores were 6.05 (±4.09), 5.74 (±3.67), 6.19 (±3.7), and 5.99 (±3.76) respectively; there were no study site by time interactions (p = 0.14) or differences over time (p = 0.52). There was a statistically significant site difference in the effectiveness of sucrose at 30 and 60 seconds (p < 0.01). Consistently low PIPP-R scores following a skin-breaking procedure indicated that the analgesic effectiveness of the minimal dose of sucrose was sustained over time in the NICU. Further research is required to determine the optimal combination of sucrose and other pain management strategies to improve clinical practice and the impact of consistent use of repeated use of sucrose on neurodevelopment.

The effect of using maternal voice, white noise, and holding combination interventions on the heel stick sampling

BackgroundHeel stick sampling, a common procedure in newborns, causes acute pain. AimsThis study aims to measure the outcome of five various non-pharmacologic pain relief groups; maternal voice, white noise, holding, maternal voice+holding, and white noise+holding. MethodsThe study is an open label, randomized controlled trial. A total of 178 newborns were included in this study. Newborns were randomly allocated to each group; white noise (n = 31), maternal voice (n = 31), holding (n = 30), white noise+holding (n = 29), maternal voice+holding (n = 28), and control (n = 29) interventions. Newborns' pain responses were evaluated using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), and the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). The primary measured outcomes were the newborns' pain levels, while the secondary outcomes were the heart rate and changes in oxygen saturation. The mean values of pain in neonates between groups were evaluated one minute before (Phase1), during (Phase2), and one minute after (Phase3) the procedure. ResultsThe research results are given with comparisons in three time periods (Phase1, Phase2 and Phase3). White noise and white noise+holding were found to have the lowest mean NIPS and PIPP score (p < 0.001). The mean heart rate was found to be the lowest in the white noise+holding group (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of oxygen saturation score (p = 0.453). ConclusionThe white noise+holding applied to newborns during heel stick sampling were effective in pain reduction. Nurses and midwives can use white noise+holding method. Implications to practiceThese results contribute to the pain management of newborns.

Neonatal pain assessment: Do we have the right tools?

The assessment and management of neonatal pain is crucial for the development and wellbeing of vulnerable infants. Specifically, neonatal pain is associated with adverse health outcomes but is often under-identified and therefore under-treated. Neonatal stress may be misinterpreted as pain and may therefore be treated inappropriately. The assessment of neonatal pain is complicated by the non-verbal status of patients, age-dependent variation in pain responses, limited education on identifying pain in premature infants, and the clinical utility of existing tools. We review research surrounding neonatal pain assessment scales currently in use to assess neonatal pain in the neonatal intensive care unit. We performed a systematic review of original research using PRISMA guidelines for literature published between 2016 and 2021 using the key words "neonatal pain assessment" in the databases Web of Science, PubMed, and CINAHL. Fifteen articles remained after review, duplicate, irrelevant, or low-quality articles were eliminated. We found research evaluating 13 neonatal pain scales. Important measurement categories include behavioral parameters, physiological parameters, continuous pain, acute pain, chronic pain, and the ability to distinguish between pain and stress. Provider education, inter-rater reliability and ease of use are important factors that contribute to an assessment tool's success. Each scale studied had strengths and limitations that aided or hindered its use for measuring neonatal pain in the neonatal intensive care unit, but no scale excelled in all areas identified as important for reliably identifying and measuring pain in this vulnerable population. A more comprehensive neonatal pain assessment tool and more provider education on differences in pain signals in premature neonates may be needed to increase the clinical utility of pain scales that address the different aspects of neonatal pain.

Analgesic Role of Breastfeeding: Analysis of Effectiveness, Implementation Barriers, and Strategies to Promote Evidence-Based Practice

Objective:Exposure to painful stimuli serves as toxic stress for infants, increasing their subsequent pain sensitivity and resulting in neurodevelopmental impairments. Besides offering nutritional, psychological, immunological, and economic benefits, breastfeeding is reported as the most effective analgesia for the management of minor procedural pain in infants. Although breastfeeding holds several advantages, implementation of this nonpharmacological intervention is still uncommon in many clinical settings.Methods:This scoping review presents an analysis of 29 clinical trials that compare the effectiveness of breastfeeding with other nonpharmacological methods.Findings:Breastfeeding is an efficacious analgesia compared with sucrose, sweet solutions, and other nonpharmacological methods. When used alone or in combination with other nonpharmacological interventions, breastfeeding reduces infants’ biobehavioral responses to pain and promotes faster physiologic recovery after painful procedures. Breastfeeding is recommended as the first choice whenever feasible. Barriers to the uptake of this effective pain management method in clinical practice include misinformation/inconsistent use of evidence, an infant’s impaired sucking reflex, maternal–child separation, the workload of healthcare professionals, a lack of parental involvement, assumptions of healthcare providers, and a lack of adequate information/guidance for parents. Strategies to promote the uptake of breastfeeding for the management of procedural pain in infants include an effective partnership between healthcare providers and breastfeeding mothers, knowledge mobilization resources in multiple languages, informational support and media campaigns, and experiential learning opportunities for breastfeeding mothers.Conclusions:Successful implementation of baby-friendly hospital initiatives, a patient-centered approach, family-centered care, and the collaborative efforts of healthcare providers in all healthcare settings is recommended to promote the uptake of breastfeeding as analgesia.

Effect of Non-nutritive Sucking during Heel-stick Procedure in Pain Management of Term Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of non-nutritive sucking for analgesia in term infants undergoing heel-stick procedures. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies based on the PICO framework were included in the study. Review articles, commentary, pilot, and non-English articles were excluded. Databases, such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane, were searched until January 31st, 2021, using the keywords "Pain management", 'Non-nutritive sucking", and "Heel stick". All studies were reviewed and retrieved by two authors independently using a standardized form according to the inclusion criteria, and any disagreements were examined by a third scholar. Quality assessment was evaluated by using the ROB-2 tool. Data were analyzed using Stata version 12.0 software, and a random-effects model was used for analysis. A total of 5,629 articles were retrieved from all databases, and after the screening, finally, 6 relevant articles were included in the analysis. The tools used to control pain in infants in the articles included PIPP, NFCS, NIPS, and NPASS. The results showed that the pain scores were significantly lower in the NNS group compared to the control group (MD, -1.05; 95% CI, -1.53 to -0.57) and NNS had a significant effect on oxygen saturation (O2 Sat) increasing in newborns compared to the control group, but no significant reduction in the heart rate (HR) between two groups was observed. NNS effectively provides analgesia in full-term neonates undergoing heel-stick procedures; however, its effects on the long-term outcomes of infants are unclear. The results showed that NNS was effective in improving heel-stick pain in infants.

Intussusception among Children Admitted in a Department of Pediatric Surgery of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

Intussusception is the second most common cause of acute abdominal pain in infants and preschool children. The aetiology for intussusception is idiopathic at this age. Hydrostatic reduction and exploratory laparotomy with proceed are the options for the management of intussusception. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of intussusception among patients admitted to the Department of Pediatric Surgery of a tertiary care centre. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among admitted patients in the Department of Pediatric Surgery of a tertiary care centre after ethical approval from the Ethical Committee (Reference number: A37-77/78). Data were collected from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020 from admitted children aged 6 months to 5 years of age. Data collection was done from the hospital record section using the convenience sampling method. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Among 1785 admitted patients, 267 (14.96%) (13.31-16.61, 95% Confidence Interval) were found to have intussusception. Among them, the hydrostatic reduction was successful in 246 (92.13%). Meanwhile, 21 (7.86%) of cases underwent laparotomy. The peak age of patients was seen in 148 (55.43%) in the age group of 1-3 years. Intussusception is one of the common surgical emergencies in children. Hydrostatic reduction of intussusception is a simple and effective method for the treatment of intussusception in children. intussusception; laparotomy; paediatrics; prevalence; ultrasound.

Ensemble of multimodal deep learning autoencoder for infant cry and pain detection

Background: Babies cannot communicate their pain properly. Several pain scores are developed, but they are subjective and have high variability inter-observer agreement. The aim of this study was to construct models that use both facial expression and infant voice in classifying pain levels and cry detection. Methods: The study included a total of 23 infants below 12-months who were treated at Dr Soetomo General Hospital. The the Face Leg Activity Cry and Consolability (FLACC) pain scale and recordings of the baby's cries were taken in the video format. A machine-learning-based system was created to detect infant cries and pain levels. Spectrograms with the Short-Time Fourier Transform were used to convert the audio data into a time-frequency representation. Facial features combined with voice features extracted by using the Deep Learning Autoencoders was used for the classification of infant pain levels. Two types of autoencoders: Convolutional Autoencoder and Variational Autoencoder were used for both faces and voices. Result: The goal of the autoencoder was to produce a latent-vector with much smaller dimensions that was still able to recreate the data with minor losses. From the latent-vectors, a multimodal data representation for Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was used for producing a relatively high F1 score, higher than single data modal such as the voice or facial expressions alone. Two major parts of the experiment were: 1. Building the three autoencoder models, which were autoencoder for the infant’s face, amplitude spectrogram, and dB-scaled spectrogram of infant’s voices. 2. Utilising the latent-vector result from the autoencoders to build the cry detection and pain classification models. Conclusion: In this paper, four pain classifier models with a relatively good F1 score was developed. These models were combined by using ensemble methods to improve performance, which resulted in a better F1 score.

Effect of Music on Infant Stress as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Premature Infant Pain Profile: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

Hospitalized infants often experience pathological stress and pain with adverse short and long term effects on health outcomes. However, data regarding the benefits of music therapy for infant stress and pain are conflicting.

Analgesic Role of Breastfeeding: Analysis of Effectiveness, Implementation Barriers, and Strategies to Promote Evidence-Based Practice

Objective:Exposure to painful stimuli serves as toxic stress for infants, increasing their subsequent pain sensitivity and resulting in neurodevelopmental impairments. Besides offering nutritional, psychological, immunological, and economic benefits, breastfeeding is reported as the most effective analgesia for the management of minor procedural pain in infants. Although breastfeeding holds several advantages, implementation of this nonpharmacological intervention is still uncommon in many clinical settings.Methods:This scoping review presents an analysis of 29 clinical trials that compare the effectiveness of breastfeeding with other nonpharmacological methods.Findings:Breastfeeding is an efficacious analgesia compared with sucrose, sweet solutions, and other nonpharmacological methods. When used alone or in combination with other nonpharmacological interventions, breastfeeding reduces infants’ biobehavioral responses to pain and promotes faster physiologic recovery after painful procedures. Breastfeeding is recommended as the first choice whenever feasible. Barriers to the uptake of this effective pain management method in clinical practice include misinformation/inconsistent use of evidence, an infant’s impaired sucking reflex, maternal–child separation, the workload of healthcare professionals, a lack of parental involvement, assumptions of healthcare providers, and a lack of adequate information/guidance for parents. Strategies to promote the uptake of breastfeeding for the management of procedural pain in infants include an effective partnership between healthcare providers and breastfeeding mothers, knowledge mobilization resources in multiple languages, informational support and media campaigns, and experiential learning opportunities for breastfeeding mothers.Conclusions:Successful implementation of baby-friendly hospital initiatives, a patient-centered approach, family-centered care, and the collaborative efforts of healthcare providers in all healthcare settings is recommended to promote the uptake of breastfeeding as analgesia.

Pain and neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born very preterm.

To investigate the impact of the level of pain experienced by infants born preterm on neurodevelopmental outcomes during their stay in a neonatal intensive care unit. In this retrospective data analysis we included all surviving infants born preterm with a gestational age between 23 and 32 weeks from 2011 to 2015, who were assessed using the Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation Scale and examined at 1 year of age using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. We excluded all infants who had suffered severe neurological morbidities and undergone surgical interventions. A total of 196 infants born preterm were included in the analyses: 105 in the 'no pain group' and 91 in the 'pain group'. Significant differences between the groups were detected for both mental and motor development (p= 0.003, 95%confidence interval [CI] 2.23-10.92; p= 0.025, 95%CI 0.64-9.78). The results remained significant after controlling for other important medical conditions (p= 0.001, 95%CI -19.65 to -5.40; p= 0.010, 95%CI -16.18 to -2.29). Neonatal pain exposure was associated with altered neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants born very preterm at a corrected age of 12 months. This observation highlights the importance of adequate pain management to reduce the risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in these vulnerable patients.

Timing for maximum anaesthetic effect of topical cream during early infant circumcision (EIC) in Rakai, Uganda.

The objective of this study is to determine the optimal timing for device-based infant circumcision under topical anaesthesia. We include infants aged 1-60 days who were enrolled in a field study of the no-flip ShangRing device at four hospitals in the Rakai region of south-central Uganda, between 5 February 2020 and 27 October 2020. Two hundred infants, aged 0-60 days, were enrolled, and EMLA cream was applied on the foreskin and entire penile shaft. The anaesthetic effect was assessed every 5 min by gentle application of artery forceps at the tip of the foreskin, starting at 10 min post-application until 60 min, the recommended time to start circumcision. The response was measured using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). We determined the onset and duration of anaesthesia (defined as <20% of infants with NIPS score >4) and maximum anaesthesia (defined as <20% of infants with NIPS score >2). Overall, NIPS scores decreased to a minimum and reversed before the recommended 60 min. Baseline response varied with age, with minimal response among infants aged 40 days. Overall, anaesthesia was achieved after at least 25 min and lasted 20-30 min. Maximum anaesthesia was achieved after at least 30 min (except among those aged >45 days where it was not achieved) and lasted up to 10 min. The optimal timing for maximum topical anaesthesia occurred before the recommended 60 min of waiting time. A shorter waiting time and speed may be efficient for mass device-based circumcision.

Gentle Touch and Sucrose for Pain Relief during Suctioning in Preterm Newborns-A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Pain management is challenging in neonatal care. We aimed to compare the effects of gentle touch and sucrose on pain relief during suctioning in premature newborns (PTNB). This crossover randomized clinical trial enrolled PTNBs with low birth weight, hemodynamically stable, and requiring suctioning during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit. PTNBs underwent three different suctioning procedures. The first was performed without intervention (baseline). Right after, PTNBs were randomly allocated (sucrose and gentle touch or vice versa) to the next two suctioning procedures. Two validated scales assessed pain: the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R). We evaluated 50 PTNBs (mean of 28 weeks) with a mean low birth weight of 1050 g; most were under continuous positive airway pressure 37 (74%) and mechanical ventilation 41 (82%). Gentle touch was efficacious for pain relief since NIPS (p = 0.010) compared to baseline. Sucrose was also effective in reducing pain NIPS and PIPP-R (p < 0.001). Although the two interventions reduced pain, no difference was observed between gentle touch and sucrose.

The effects of breast milk odor on the physiological and behavioral responses caused by venipuncture pain in term infants: A clinical trial study.

Pain management is very important for infants who are unable to express it verbally. Pain control is one of the nursing actions and part of their duties. This study attempted to determine the effects of breast milk odor on the physiological and behavioral responses caused by venipuncture pain in full-term infants at an educational hospital. This randomized clinical trial study was carried out on 3-5 days' term and healthy babies with a gestational age of 34 weeks and later in the 9-Day Hospital of Torbet Heydariyeh, Iran, 2021. The sample size, taking into account the possibility of a 10% dropout of samples included 20 babies for each group and a total of 40 babies were selected by convenience sampling. To collect data, a checklist of demographic characteristics, a registration form for physiological responses, and the modified behavioral pain scale were used. The results of this study showed that breast milk odor has a positive effect on behavioral responses (P < 0.001) and also a significant relationship was observed between the effects of breast milk odor and physiological responses percentage of oxygen uptake and pulse (P < 0.001). However, no significant relationship was observed between breast milk odor and breathing variables (P > 0.05). According to the results, olfactory stimulation with breast milk during venous blood sampling showed positive effects on physiological responses and pain reduction in infants. Therefore, it is recommended to use soothing stimuli such as the smell of breast milk during painful procedures in babies.

The Effect of Gentle Touch on Cardiorespiratory Indices and Pain Behaviors Related to Venipuncture and Blood Sampling in Preterm Infants Under Intensive Care.

Infants undergo extremely painful procedures in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which if left uncontrolled may cause complications. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate gentle touch effect on cardiorespiratory indices and pain behaviors related to venipuncture and blood sampling in preterm infants. A quasi-experimental study was undertaken in gentle touch and control groups in three stages. The population included premature infants in NICU of Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Using convenience sampling, 52 infants were randomly selected and assigned to two groups (n = 26). Gentle touch technique and measurement of cardiorespiratory indices were performed 5 minutes before, during, and 5 minutes after procedure, and routine care was provided for control group. Neonatal pain and cardiorespiratory indices were assessed using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and an intensive care monitor. Data was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, independent t-test, and Chi-square test in SPSS software. The independent t-test revealed a significant difference between mean pain score of the infants in two groups during the procedures (t50 = -3.32, p = 0.002), but no significant different was between groups before and after the procedure (p > 0.05). However, the cardiorespiratory indices were not significantly different before, during, and after the procedure (p > 0.05). The results suggest that gentle touch reduced the infants' pain during venipuncture and blood sampling. Thus, it is recommended this method be applied to mitigate pain in premature infants.

Efficacy of Enhanced Dose of Expressed Breast Milk in Neonatal Procedural Pain Relief: A Randomised Placebo-controlled Study

Introduction: Procedural pain remedies in neonates is an area of active research due to better understanding of short and long-term outcomes of neonatal painful exposures. Non pharmacological interventions are especially attractive as it avoids unnecessary drug exposure. While dextrose is known to be effective, results with small volumes (2 mL) of Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) are equivocal. There is recent theoretical evidence to show that larger doses of EBM may be more efficacious. Aim: To compare the efficacy of a larger volume of EBM 5 mL and 2 mL of 25% Dextrose (25D) in relief of procedural pain from venipuncture in term and preterm neonates. Materials and Methods: A single center randomised placebo- controlled study was conducted at Bokaro General Hospital, Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand, India, between March 2014 and February 2016. Neonates ≥34 week gestation, requiring venipuncture in a neonatal care unit were randomly allocated into 3 equal groups using a random number table- Sterile Water (SW), 2mL 25D, 5 mL EBM was given two minutes prior to venipuncture. Video of facial response, cry times, Maximal Heart Rate (MHR), and minimum Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) were recorded till five minutes after venipuncture. The Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) score was used to assess the effect of the interventions on procedural pain. Subgroup analysis was done in term and preterm neonates. Continuous variables were presented as mean±SD or median. Categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The comparison of normally distributed continuous variables between the groups was performed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results: The PIPP score in the 25D group (2.94±1.41) was significantly lower than the EBM (7.42±1.69) and SW (10.56±1.69) groups (p-value&lt;0.001). MHR was significantly lower in the 25D group, but no difference was found between the EBM and SW groups (p-value=0.23). SpO2 was significantly higher in the 25D group but for the initial 2.5 minutes only. Cry times were significantly lower in the intervention groups. There was no difference in outcomes in term vs. preterm infants. Conclusion: The use of 2 mL 25D was more effective in reducing procedural pain from venipuncture compared to 5 mL EBM. The return of physiological markers (MHR and SpO2) to baseline were faster and more complete in the 25D group.

Comparison of 25% Dextrose versus Expressed Breast Milk in Reducing Pain while Heel Prick Procedure in Preterm Neonates in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India: A Randomised Clinical Trial

Introduction: Preterm infants undergo repeated painful procedures during a period of rapid brain development and programming of stress systems. Newborn babies including preterm infants do feel pain. Although different interventions, such as skin-to-skin contact, glucose solutions, breastfeeding, and local anaesthetic agents, have been evaluated to reduce infants’ pain, there is no clinical trial available to identify the best method. Aim: To compare the dectrose 25% versus Expressed Breast Milk (EBM) in reducing pain while heel prick procedure in preterm neonates in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The present randomised clinical trial was conducted at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Kashiben Gordhandas Patel Children Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, from September 2019 to May 2020. Total 125 neonates with Gestational age between 28 weeks to 36 weeks were included in the study. Babies were divided into two groups by randomisation: Group-A: EBM and Group-B: Dextrose 25%. Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) score was calculated from worst state of individual recovery period (0-½ minute, 1-1½ minute, 3-3½ minute) and compared to baseline period PIPP. Results: Mean gestational age on examination in Group-A was 34.48±6.14 weeks and in Group-B were 34.51±5.89 weeks. Out of total 125 preterm babies (Group-A-62, group B-63), 71 (56.8%) were male and 54 (43.2 %) were females. Comparison of PIPP at 1-1½ min of heel prick in EBM and Dextrose 25% group was statistically significant (p-value &lt;0.003) suggestive of continued analgesic effect of dextrose 25% better than EBM and PIPP scores after 3-3½ min of heel prick having no statistically significant difference. (p&gt;0.05) Mean difference between the PIPP score in the dextrose 25% and EBM groups was -1.25 and -1.33 at 0 and 1 minute after procedure (p-value,&lt;0.001), so pain relief was better in dextrose 25% group than EBM group. Conclusion: Dextrose 25% was better effective in reducing mean crying duration than EBM. Dextrose 25% had a better analgesic effect than EBM in 28 to 36 weeks gestational age neonates.

Agreement of Revised Premature Infant Pain Profile Scoring between Healthcare Providers and Laypersons: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The experience of pain during the neonatal period has short and long-term consequences. The Revised Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP-R) is a globally accepted and validated tool for assessing pain in neonates. Adequate pain management measures can be implemented using the PIPP-R, even in the absence of consultants. Aim: To assess the agreement among healthcare providers and laypersons in scoring the PIPP-R. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Shree Krishna Hospital, a rural Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in central Gujarat, India. The duration of the study was one year and six months, from January 2021 to June 2022. The study included 12 volunteers from various fields, such as consultant neonatologists, first year postgraduate students in Department of Paediatrics, neonatal nurses, social workers, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) interns, and mothers of newborns. A neonatology consultant provided training on the PIPP-R scoring system using handouts and a presentation. The volunteers then evaluated 100 prerecorded videos of newborns undergoing painful procedures. Agreement between volunteers for the total PIPP-R score and its subcomponents was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis and Cohen’s Kappa statistics. Results: A total of 100 videos of newborns (51 girls, 49 boys) undergoing painful procedures were evaluated for the PIPP-R score. The mean age, gestational age, and birth weight of the newborns were 2.21±1.55 days, 37±2.44 weeks, and 2.56±0.72 kg, respectively. The procedures included heel prick for Random Blood Sugar (RBS) (44%), intravenous sampling/insertion (34%), and intramuscular vitamin K injection (22%). The mean difference with 95% Confidence Limits (CL) of total PIPP-R scores between the two consultants (neonatologists) was -0.640 (-5.196, 3.916). The length of the CL was -9.112, which fell outside the defined CL of 4.2 (20% of the total score), indicating unacceptable agreement between the two consultants. Similarly, agreement between each consultant and any of the other participants, including residents, nurses, interns, mothers, and social workers, regarding the total PIPP-R score, as well as its subcomponents, was also deemed unacceptable. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the inter-rater reliability of the PIPP-R score and its subcomponents was unacceptable between consultants and with any of the other participants.

The Newborn Infant Parasympathetic Evaluation (NIPE™) monitor predicts post-operative pain in children undergoing day-procedures: A prospective observational study

BackgroundPain assessment is essential for the administration of appropriate analgesia. Currently, clinicians use surrogate methods, such as heart rate or behavioural pain scales, to estimate pain in neonates and infants. The Newborn and Infant Parasympathetic Evaluation (NIPE™) monitor aims to provide an objective numeric value (NIPE index) of pain through a continuous assessment of the patient's parasympathetic activity. The aim of this study was to determine if the intraoperative NIPE index monitoring could predict postoperative pain in neonates and infants. MethodsThis prospective observational pilot study included neonates and infants undergoing elective day-surgical procedures (n = 50). Intraoperatively, NIPE indices at 0 (NIPE0), 10 (NIPE10), 20 (NIPE20), 30 (NIPE30) minutes and at completion of surgery (NIPEe), were recorded; the median NIPE index (NIPEm) was calculated for the entire procedure. Postoperative Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale scores were calculated by the nursing staff blinded to the intraoperative NIPE indices. ResultsLinear regression documented an association between the NIPEm and postoperative FLACC score at 0 (r = 0.31, p = 0.03) and 10 min (r = 0.36, p = 0.01). No significant associations were observed for FLACC scores at 20 (r = 0.21, p = 0.2) and 30 min (r = 0.36, p > 0.9). Multiple regression analysis revealed that intraoperative NIPE10, NIPE20, NIPE30 and NIPEe also predicted the FLACC score at 0 min (p = 0.003). ConclusionThe intraoperative NIPE index is predictive of pain in the immediate postoperative period. This association was lost at 20 min likely due to nursing intervention to administer analgesia. NIPE monitoring could be useful in facilitating postoperative pain management in infants. Level of evidenceII. Type of studyStudy of Diagnostic Test.