Oral sucrose to decrease pain associated with arterial puncture in infants 30 to 36 weeks' gestation: a randomized clinical trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of oral sucrose solution on pain responses of neonates to arterial puncture compared with neonates who did not receive a sucrose solution.

Subjects: Convenience sample of 47 neonates, 31 to 35 weeks' gestational age.

Design: Double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Main Outcome Measure: Changes in pain response during and after an arterial puncture.

Methods: Infants were randomly assigned to receive a 24% sucrose solution or usual care (comfort measures only) 2 minutes before an arterial puncture. Pain, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were measured before, during, and after an arterial puncture. Chi-square analysis was used to determine group differences, with P < .05 considered significant.

Results: Forty-seven subjects were studied during arterial puncture (sucrose, 24; no sucrose, 23). Neonates receiving sucrose solution had significantly less crying than the no sucrose group, both during and immediately after an arterial puncture (P = .006 and .022, respectively). No significant changes in other pain subscales, heart rate, or oxygen saturation were found during or after the arterial puncture (P > .05).

Conclusion: This study found a significant reduction in the crying subscale of the Neonatal Infant Pain subscale immediately after the introduction of an arterial needle in neonates receiving a 24% sucrose solution, compared with those who did not receive sucrose solution. While prior studies found a similar reduction in pain scores after heel and venipuncture needlesticks, this is the first study evaluating a high concentration of oral sucrose to blunt the pain associated with an arterial puncture.