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[Sedation and analgesia in neonatology.]

Yerkes Pereira E Silva1, Renato Santiago Gomez, Thadeu Alves Máximo

  • 1Hospital Life Center, Belo Horizonte, MG.

Revista Brasileira De Anestesiologia
|May 23, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Minimizing pain and stress in newborns is crucial. This review covers pain prevention, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments, and sedation strategies for neonates.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatology
  • Pediatric Pain Management

Context:

  • Pain and stress cause significant suffering in newborns.
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) require strategies to humanize care and reduce patient/family stress.
  • Limited interventions have historically addressed neonatal pain and discomfort.

Purpose:

  • To review methods for preventing pain in newborns.
  • To discuss non-pharmacological and pharmacological pain treatments for neonates.
  • To outline sedation approaches for newborns, including drug classes.

Summary:

  • Non-pharmacological pain prevention in NICUs includes measures like non-nutritive suckling and glucose administration.
  • Pharmacological pain management involves non-opioid analgesics, opioids, and local anesthetics.
  • Sedation for newborns utilizes medications such as chloral hydrate, barbiturates, propofol, and benzodiazepines to manage agitation.

Impact:

  • Individualized pain prevention and analgesia are essential for all newborns undergoing potentially painful procedures.
  • Effective pain management in neonates can reduce suffering and improve outcomes.
  • This review provides a comprehensive overview of current strategies for neonatal pain and sedation.
Abstract

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