Related Experiment Videos
[Pain in neonates]
1Fysiologisk institutt Univesitetet i Bergen.
Insights
Neonates and premature infants feel pain during procedures and require analgesics. Early pain management is crucial, as it can prevent long-term pain sensitivity changes, differing between term and premature infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric pain management
- Developmental neuroscience
Context:
- Historically, neonates' capacity to experience pain was debated.
- Concerns existed regarding opioid adverse effects like respiratory depression in neonates.
- Emerging evidence highlights the significance of pain in early development.
Purpose:
- To review current understanding of pain perception in neonates and premature infants.
- To evaluate the necessity and safety of analgesics for neonatal procedures.
- To explore the long-term consequences of early pain exposure.
Summary:
- Neonates and premature infants demonstrably experience pain during medical procedures.
- Appropriate analgesic administration is recommended for these vulnerable populations.
- Early pain exposure can lead to lasting alterations in pain sensitivity, with distinct patterns in term versus premature infants.
Impact:
- Informs clinical guidelines for pain management in neonatal intensive care units.
- Emphasizes the importance of proactive pain relief to mitigate developmental impacts.
- Highlights the need for further research into differential pain responses in term and preterm infants.
Abstract:
Recent research has lead to the conclusion that neonates and premature children do experience pain when undergoing painful procedures and that they should receive appropriate analgesics. It has earlier been argued that opioids should not be given to neonates because of their potentially dangerous adverse effects, e.g. respiratory depression and drug dependence. New reports emphasise the beneficial effects of proper analgesic treatment prior to surgery. Studies show that early pain experiences could have severe long-term effects, including altered sensitivity to pain. These effects appear to be different in neonates born at term compared to premature children.