Sucrose for procedural pain management in infants

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Pediatric pain management
• Neuroscience of analgesia

Background:

• Oral sucrose is the most studied pain intervention in newborn care.
• Over 150 studies show sweet-taste solutions, primarily sucrose, reduce infant pain responses.
• Despite recommendations, sucrose use in clinical practice remains inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the mechanisms of sucrose-induced analgesia in infants.
• To identify existing evidence, knowledge gaps, and controversies.
• To suggest future research and clinical practice directions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on sweet-taste-induced analgesia in infants.
• Analysis of research on sucrose's effectiveness and proposed mechanisms.
• Identification of clinical practice gaps and controversies.

Main Results:

• Sucrose and other sweet solutions consistently reduce pain in infants up to 12 months.
• The precise mechanism of sweet-taste-induced analgesia remains poorly understood.
• Knowledge gaps hinder the translation of evidence into consistent clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• Oral sucrose is an effective analgesic for infants, but its mechanism requires further elucidation.
• Addressing knowledge gaps is crucial for improving clinical implementation of sucrose for pain relief.
• Future research should focus on understanding sucrose's analgesic pathways and optimizing its use.