The effect of oscillometric blood pressure measurement on pain response in preterm infants.

Aim: Preterm neonates are exposed to many painful procedures in neonatal intensive care units. This study aims to evaluate the effect of oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurement on pain response in preterm infants.

Methods: This prospective study was performed over 4 months in a level III neonatal intensive care unit. Premature neonates whose gestational age was <34 weeks and postmenstrual age <36 weeks were included if they had no systemic diseases. BP measurement was performed on the right arm. The Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R) scores were evaluated three times before, during, and 10 min after BP measurement.

Results: During the 5-month period, 100 preterm neonates (53 male infants) were included in the study. Median birth weight and gestational age of the infants were 1148 (IQR: 1015-1300) g and 28 (IQR: 27-30) weeks, respectively. PIPP-R scores were found to be ≥7 in 34% of neonates. PIPP-R scores increased during BP measurement and decreased after.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that oscillometric BP measurement which is generally accepted as a non-invasive tool for monitoring can produce mild pain in premature neonates of postmenstrual age <36 weeks.