Analgesic effect of 30% glucose, milk and non-nutritive sucking in neonates

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate nondrug management practices concerning pain induced by blood sampling in newborns in a Moroccan neonatal unit and to determine whether the results reported from a randomized clinical study of nondrug analgesia could be reproduced in a routine care setting. METHODS Standardized prospective observation of analgesic practices used during blood sampling was performed. Pain was assessed using the Douleur Aiguë Nouveau-né (DAN, [Newborn Acute Pain]) scale that incorporates facial expression, vocal expression, and limb movements of the newborn during realization of a painful procedure. Five different nondrug analgesic practices were investigated in 125 infants. RESULTS Median DAN scores for the five methods were 6 (1-10) for venous sampling with oral administration of 30% glucose, 5 (1-10) for venous sampling with sucking, 3 (0-6) for venous sampling with oral administration of 30% glucose combined with sucking, 4 (0-10) for venous sampling with oral administration of 30% glucose combined with sucking and administration of 2 mL of adapted infant formula, and 6 (3-8) for venous sampling with administration of 2 mL of adapted infant formula. CONCLUSION Oral administration of 30% glucose combined with sucking provided better control of pain induced by blood sampling in newborns at our neonatal unit.