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Pain in the newborn--pharmacodynamic aspects
1Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Developmental Pharmacology and Therapeutics
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Newborns may not recall pain, but evidence suggests they feel it. Treating pain in newborns is crucial for better clinical outcomes and avoiding potential harm.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Physiology
- Pain Perception
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pain is subjective and difficult to quantify in individuals unable to communicate, such as newborn infants.
- While direct experience of pain in newborns is unknown, physiological and behavioral evidence suggests nociceptive pathways are functional at birth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for nociception in newborns.
- To discuss the implications of pain in neonates and the role of analgesia.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on neonatal pain pathways.
- Analysis of behavioral and biochemical responses to noxious stimuli in newborns.
- Examination of pharmacokinetic data for analgesics in neonates.
Main Results:
- Neuronal pathways for pain conduction are present in fetal development.
- Newborns exhibit behavioral and biochemical stress responses to noxious stimuli.
- Pharmacokinetics of analgesics in neonates are understood, with predictable short-term side effects.
Conclusions:
- Nociceptive stimuli in newborns are disadvantageous and should be treated.
- Analgesic and anesthetic drugs can improve surgical outcomes in neonates.
- While long-term effects are debated, managing neonatal pain is clinically indicated.