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Effect of Nonpharmacologic Pain Control During Examination for Retinopathy of Prematurity
Insights
Swaddling premature infants with sucrose or breast milk did not reduce pain during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) exams compared to distilled water. These nonpharmacologic methods showed no significant difference in pain perception.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pain management in neonates
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Premature infants experience significant pain during medical procedures.
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is a common and potentially painful examination for premature infants.
- Nonpharmacologic interventions are sought to manage procedural pain in neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of infant swaddling combined with oral administration of sucrose, breast milk, or distilled water in reducing pain perception during ROP screening in premature infants.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 87 premature infants (<32 weeks gestation, <1500g).
- Interventions included swaddling with oral 24% sucrose, breast milk, or distilled water administered before ROP examination.
- Pain was assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP).
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences in PIPP scores were observed among the three groups.
- The effectiveness of sucrose or breast milk in reducing pain was not superior to distilled water during ROP examinations.
Conclusions:
- Infant swaddling combined with oral sucrose or breast milk is not more effective than swaddling with distilled water for reducing pain in premature infants undergoing ROP screening.
- Further research may be needed to identify effective nonpharmacologic pain management strategies for this population.
Objectives:
To examine the effects of infant swaddling with oral administration of sucrose, swaddling with oral administration of breast milk, and swaddling with oral administration of distilled water (control) on pain perception in premature infants during a screening examination for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Design:
A prospective, randomized controlled design was used.
Setting:
The research was conducted in the NICU of a Level III university hospital in Istanbul.
Participants:
Data were obtained from 87 premature infants (54% female) who were less than 32 weeks gestation and 1500 g body weight.
Methods:
The nonpharmacologic methods of swaddling with orally administered 0.2 ml of 24% sucrose, swaddling with orally administered breast milk, and swaddling with orally administered distilled water were implemented immediately before the ROP examination. The Premature Infant Pain Profile was used to evaluate pain. Means, standard deviations, and repeated-measures analysis of variance and one-way analysis of variance tests were used to evaluate pain score data.
Results:
For 72.4% of the infants, the experimental session was the first time they were examined for ROP. No significant differences in Premature Infant Pain Profile scores were found across the three groups.
Conclusion:
Infant swaddlings with oral administration of sucrose or breast milk were no more effective than swaddling with oral administration of distilled water to reduce pain in premature infants during ROP examinations.
