Imagine your tiny baby undergoing a lung scan, a procedure that can be uncomfortable. For preterm infants, this experience can be particularly stressful, both for them and their worried parents. Traditionally, oral sucrose has been thought to help ease pain during such procedures, but its effectiveness in this context has been unclear. In a recent study involving 60 preterm infants, researchers tested whether giving oral sucrose along with a pacifier would lessen pain during a lung ultrasound. They found that while both methods were used to comfort the babies, the sucrose didn’t provide any extra relief compared to just the pacifier. This means that for these little ones, simply sucking on a pacifier might be enough to keep them calm during the scan. While this is good news for parents looking for ways to comfort their infants, it also highlights the need for ongoing research into the best ways to manage pain in vulnerable newborns. Understanding what works can help improve care and reduce stress for both babies and their families.
Can a Sweet Solution Ease Pain for Preterm Babies During Lung Scans?
Plain Language Summary
What this means for you:
For preterm infants, a pacifier alone may be enough to ease discomfort during lung scans, bringing hope for simpler care. What this means for you:
For preterm infants, a pacifier alone may be enough to ease discomfort during lung scans, bringing hope for simpler care. View Original Abstract ↓
Although lung ultrasound (LUS) is considered non-invasive in nature, handling and probe pressure may provoke pain and transient physiological changes in preterm infants. The aim of this study was to determine whether oral sucrose combined with a pacifier reduces procedural pain and stress in preterm infants undergoing bedside LUS. A two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted between November 2020 and January 2023. Preterm infants undergoing LUS were randomized to receive either oral sucrose-plus-pacifier or pacifier-alone, administered 2 min before the scan. Pain was evaluated using the premature infant pain profile (PIPP) at four time points: baseline (30 s before intervention), 30 s into scanning, midpoint of the scan, and 30 s post-procedure. Physiological parameters (heart rate, oxygen saturation, and apneic episodes) and duration of the procedure were recorded. Group differences in PIPP scores were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Out of 60 infants enrolled, 30 infants were randomized in each group with data available on 29 infants in the sucrose-plus-pacifier group and 27 in the pacifier-alone group. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were comparable between groups. No statistically significant differences were observed in PIPP scores and physiological parameters at any time point between groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant change in PIPP scores across procedural phases (p < 0.0001), with no differences between groups (p = 0.16) or group-by-phase interaction, indicating similar PIPP score trajectories in both groups (p = 0.21). Conclusion: Among preterm infants, sucrose did not add benefit to pacifier-alone for reducing procedural pain and stress during lung ultrasound.Trial registration: NCT05717088. What is Known • Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a bedside, radiation-free imaging modality increasingly used in preterm infants, but probe pressure and handling may still provoke mild procedural discomfort and physiological changes. • Oral sucrose is an established non-pharmacologic analgesic for painful neonatal procedures; however, its benefit during minimally invasive procedures such as LUS remains uncertain. What is New • In this randomized controlled trial, oral sucrose did not provide additional analgesic benefit beyond pacifier use alone during bedside LUS in preterm infants. • These findings suggest that non-nutritive sucking alone may be sufficient for comfort during LUS, supporting its classification as a minimally distressing neonatal bedside procedure.