Assessment of newborn pain during arterial puncture: an observational analytical study

To evaluate pain intensity during arterial puncture performed in newborns admitted to a neonatal progressive care unit and to evaluate the perception of health professionals regarding neonatal pain.

This was an observational analytical study in which 62 arterial punctures were performed in 35 neonates. Pain was assessed during collection using the Premature Infant Pain Profile scale. The health professionals responsible for collection evaluated pain using a verbal numerical scale ranging from zero to ten. The data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Science software.

Among the newborns, 30.6% (n = 19) had no pain or mild pain (0 - 6), 24.2% (n = 15) had mild to moderate pain (7 - 11) and 45.2% (28) had severe pain (12 - 21). It was found that health professionals identified pain during the procedure.

Arterial puncture is considered a painful procedure that can result in mild to severe pain. The adoption of systematic evaluation strategies is necessary to enable appropriate therapeutic intervention.