Background And Objectives: Previous randomized trials of the analgesic effects of sucrose, glucose, and a pacifier in term neonates have shown that the pacifier resulted in lower pain scores than glucose or sucrose, but the pacifier with and without sucrose did not differ. The current study was designed to assess the analgesic effect of pharmacologic (sucrose, water) and a non-pharmacologic measures (pacifier) in preterm infants and to find whether there is any synergism between these intervention in relieving pain during painful procedures.
Patients And Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, controlled study, 36 preterm infants (mean 31 weeks gestational age, range 27 to 36 weeks) were randomly allocated to six different regimens (0.