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Effects of smelling amniotic fluid on preterm infant's pain and stress during peripheral cannulation: A randomized
Dilek Küçük Alemdar1, Fatma Güdücü Tüfekci2
1Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.
Insights
Smelling amniotic fluid significantly reduced pain in preterm infants during peripheral cannulation. This olfactory intervention offers a promising, non-invasive method to alleviate infant distress during medical procedures.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pain management in neonates
- Infant stress response
Background:
- Peripheral cannulation is a common yet painful procedure for preterm infants.
- Minimizing pain and stress is crucial for preterm infant well-being and development.
- Non-pharmacological interventions are sought to manage procedural pain in neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of olfactory stimulation with amniotic fluid in reducing pain and stress during peripheral cannulation in preterm infants.
- To compare pain and stress levels between preterm infants exposed to amniotic fluid scent and those receiving routine care.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial involving 61 preterm infants.
- Intervention group: exposure to amniotic fluid scent for 15 minutes before, during, and after peripheral cannulation.
- Control group: received routine care. Pain assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP); stress assessed via salivary cortisol levels.
Main Results:
- Infants in the amniotic fluid group experienced significantly lower pain scores during and after peripheral cannulation compared to the control group.
- Salivary cortisol levels were lower in the amniotic fluid group post-procedure, though this difference was not statistically significant.
- Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory stimulation with amniotic fluid is an effective intervention for reducing pain in preterm infants undergoing peripheral cannulation.
- This practice shows potential as a non-pharmacological method to manage procedural pain and stress in vulnerable neonates.
- Further research may explore the impact on stress markers and long-term outcomes.
Aim:
To investigate the effect of smelling amniotic fluid on preterm infants' pain and stress caused by peripheral cannulation.
Methods:
This was a randomized controlled trial. The study sample consisted of 80 preterm infants meeting the case selection criteria and infants were randomly assigned to each group. However, in addition to the infants excluded from the study, total number of the infants in all the groups was 61. Infants in the amniotic fluid group smelled amniotic fluid for 15 min before, during, and after the application of peripheral cannulation while those in the control group received routine care during the procedure. The Premature Infant Pain Profile was used to assess their pain levels, and salivary cortisol analysis was performed to evaluate stress levels.
Results:
Preterm infants in the amniotic fluid and control groups had similar baseline characteristics. However, the pain levels of infants in the amniotic fluid group were significantly lower than of those in the control group during and after the procedure. After the procedure, cortisol levels of the infants in the amniotic fluid group were lower than of those in the control group, although this difference was not significant.
Conclusion:
The intervention of smelling amniotic fluid is a practice that can be used for reducing pain and stress of preterm infants during peripheral cannulation.
