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Acupuncture for procedural pain in newborn infants
Rita Cabano1, Haneen Al-Abdallat2, Rawan Hamamreh3
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|April 22, 2025
Summary
Acupuncture may reduce procedural pain in newborns compared to no treatment, with low-certainty evidence. However, evidence is very uncertain when compared to non-pharmacological interventions or other Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care
- Pain management in newborns
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Background:
- Procedural pain in newborns, especially in NICUs, is challenging due to limited safe and effective pain relief options.
- Acupuncture, a TCM practice, is being explored as a potential non-pharmacological alternative for pain management in neonates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the benefits and harms of acupuncture for pain relief in newborn infants undergoing painful procedures.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 852 infants.
- Searched major databases (CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase) and trial registries up to August 2023.
- Assessed pain scores, harms, and other outcomes using GRADE approach for certainty of evidence.
Main Results:
- Acupuncture may reduce procedural pain compared to no treatment or sham (low-certainty evidence).
- Evidence is very uncertain regarding acupuncture's effect on pain compared to non-pharmacological treatments (e.g., oral sucrose) or other TCM therapies (e.g., foot massage).
- Acupuncture showed little to no difference in harms compared to no treatment or non-pharmacological treatments (low-certainty evidence).
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture shows potential for reducing procedural pain in newborns when compared to no intervention, though evidence certainty is low.
- Further research is needed to clarify the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared to non-pharmacological interventions and other TCM therapies for neonatal pain management.
