Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
Published on: April 19, 2024
Effect of Expressed Breast Milk versus Swaddling versus Oral Sucrose Administration on Pain Associated with
Saumil Desai1, Ruchi Nimish Nanavati1, Rohit Nathani1
1Department of Neonatology, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Objective:
The objective of our study was to assess the pain associated with suctioning in preterm neonates on assisted ventilation and comparing the use of expressed breast milk (EBM), sucrose, and swaddling to alleviate pain.
Methods:
Study design: A randomized controlled clinical trial.
Inclusion Criteria:
Preterm neonates on assisted ventilation.
Exclusion Criteria:
Major congenital anomalies and severe encephalopathy.
Study Duration And Site:
6 months in level III neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In the first phase, we used premature infant pain profile (PIPP) score to assess pain associated with suctioning in preterm neonates on assisted ventilation. In the second phase, the effect of EBM, swaddling, and sucrose on pain relief during suctioning in neonates on assisted ventilation was assessed.
Results:
There was a significant increase in pain associated with suctioning in preterm neonates on assisted ventilation (preprocedure PIPP score 7.90 ± 2.50; procedural PIPP score 13.63 ± 2.57; P < 0.05). The postintervention mean procedural PIPP score was not significantly different between the EBM, swaddling, and sucrose groups (P = 0.24).
Conclusions:
Suctioning is painful for preterm neonates on assisted ventilation. There was no difference between EBM, swaddling, and sucrose in relieving pain associated with suctioning.
