We would never offer sucrose to an adult in pain, but in infants it is apparently a wonder drug. Guideline statement: Management of procedure-related pain in neonates. What is sucrose? Sucrose reduces composite pain scores by approximately 20% and is most effective when combined with other strategies . The aim of this paper is therefore to review sucrose efficacy beyond the neonatal period to Therefore, it is important to ensure pain management Neonatal pain is best managed using a multi-directional approach which can be conceptualized in a tiered manner (see Fig. Pain left unrelieved has been found to lead to long-term consequences such as distress, anxiety, needle fear, parental non-adherence with vaccination administration, and avoidance of medical care. Because newborns are actually very sensitive to pain, pain management has been stated as a significant part of health care in newborns. Oral sucrose for pain management 73 dence has arisen from trials including neonates only, the use of sucrose in settings outside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), such as paediatric ED settings, has not been widely practiced. Sucrose is a method of pain relief that can be used for children during minor painful procedures. Guideline: Sucrose: Management of short duration Procedural Pain in Infants Date of Publishing: 30 April 2018 12:55 PM Date of Printing: Page 2 of 8 K:\CHW P&P\ePolicy\Apr 18\Sucrose - Management of Short Duration Procedural Pain in Infants.docx Careful assessment of pain and distress during procedures is required to evaluate the effectiveness of sucrose analgesia. A sweet solution, such as sucrose or glucose, can be used for analgesia for minor short term procedural pain, such as immunisation, in infants up to 12 months of age. Currently, vaccine injections are considered to be the most common source of iatrogenic pain in childhood. The sucrose solution used in this study was made up by the pharmacy department at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, by diluting Syrup BP, which contains 66.7 g of sucrose/100 g. This solution was interpreted by the pharmacy department as containing 66.7 g of sucrose/100 mL. Consistent management of repeated procedural pain with sucrose in preterm neonates: Is it effective and safe for repeated use over time? 4. The administration of sucrose with and without non-nutritive sucking (NNS) has been examined for relieving procedural pain in newborn infants. Sucrose may be inadequate for painful procedures lasting longer than this and alternative analgesia should be considered. They are repeatedly administered to almost all children throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. Must be prescribed on the drug chart (as required) or administered under patient group directive Will only be effective if administered orally Oral sucrose will not always eliminate all crying, but is known to significantly reduce the physiological stress of pain. “When sucrose is used as a pain management strategy, it should be prescribed and tracked as a medication. Those neonates at greatest risk for neurodevelopmental impairment due to preterm birth (eg, the smallest and sickest) are also most likely to be exposed to the greatest number of painful stimuli in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Sucrose is not a pain medication. The additional benefits of reducing pain during venepuncture when oral sucrose is combined with nonpharmacological strategies have not been extensively studied. A prescription of sucrose is available to all eligible babies within the neonatal unit and documentation of appropriate use of sucrose prior to painful procedures. Objectives: Oral sucrose is commonly used to provide analgesia to neonates during painful procedures, such as venepuncture. The effect may be prolonged by administering 2 or three repeat doses at 2 minute intervals during the procedure. Oral sucrose is frequently given to relieve procedural pain in neonates on the basis of its effect on behavioural and physiological pain scores. Methods: 1) and includes non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic modalities (see Table 2).The foundational basis for optimizing pain management in the neonatal population is aimed at reducing the total number of painful events []. Consensus statement for the prevention and management of pain in the newborn. Practice is benchmarked annually and action plans are formulated in response to the findings. Despite this evidence, sucrose is not utilized in many settings for management of acute procedural pain (Harrison, D., et al. Both sucrose groups had lower PIPP scores (single sucrose pain scores, 6.8-8.2, p = 0.07; repeated sucrose pain scores, 5.3-6. Simple physical strategies such as non-nutritive sucking (i.e., pacifier use) and rocking or holding an infant can also lower pain and distress [ 36 ] . That rant already exists on this blog.It was also the subject of my talk at the final SMACC conference, which is now online.Another blog post is probably unnecessary, but neither resource included the references from my literature review, so for those who are interested, these are my extended notes on the subject. Sucrose (oral) for procedural pain management in infants; Best Practice Clinical Guideline, Assessment and Management of Neonatal Pain - … In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics proposed guidelines for prevention and treatment of neonatal pain, in which nonpharmacological interventions, such as sucrose, NNS, and skin-to-skin contact were recommended in minor painful procedures. Protocol for the use of sucrose solution for procedural pain management Sucrose Reduces distress associated with painful procedures in babies < 3 months of age Is safe, and easily administered. NICU Patients (Mokhnach et al, 2010) Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics cautioned use of sucrose for infant pain management until appropriate dose, mechanisms of action, and long-term effects of this treatment are addressed; sucrose should be viewed as a prescribed medication that must be tracked (Committee on Fetus and Newborn and Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, 2016). The idea of using sucrose to control pain has always sort of bothered me. We believe that they might have overstated their conclusions and suggest a more cautious interpretation of the study findings. Overall, 89% of the respondents reported that either breastfeeding or sucrose was used for the management of procedural pain in their units. Chapter 3: Oral sucrose for procedural pain Valid until 1st February 2022 3 management in infants. Clin J Pain … The sweet solution is given orally and provides short term analgesia. We assessed whether sucrose administration reduces pain-specific brain and spinal cord activity after an acute noxious procedure in newborn infants. Stevens B, Yamada J, Beyene J, et al. Administered orally for relief of pain caused by minor procedures without a physician’s order to infants up to 12 months of age. Vaccine injections cause pain, anxiety and fear in paediatric patients. Sucrose for Neonatal Pain Management P arent / Caregiver Information Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Do infants feel pain? For example, sucrose is frequently used for the management of acute post-procedural pain in newborn and young infants, yet the mechanism of sucrose-induced analgesia remains unknown [7, 8]. Among the non-pharmacological measures for pain control, the most commonly used were breast milk ad libitum during the procedure , sucrose solution (24–25% sucrose) [22, 30,31,32], dextrose solution (50% dextrose) , non-nutritive sucking (NNS) provided in the form of a gloved finger , and audio-stimulation with music (lullabies or repetitive rhythms) . More research is needed to better understand the effects of sucrose use for analgesia,” Keels says. 3. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 155, 173-180. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating the analgesic efficacy of oral sucrose during minor painful procedures in young infants. Sydney: Paediatrics & Child Health Division, The Royal Australasian College of Physicians; 2005. Sucrose is safe and effective at reducing pain during procedures, such as heal lance. In my personal experience, I would definitely say that the use of oral sucrose helps to alleviate pain during these procedures and is a great alternative to pharmacological interventions. Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of oral sucrose versus breastfeeding as methods of pain management during immunization of infants through 6 months of age. enhances parental understanding of pain perception and management for neonates. How much Babies do feel pain. Introduction Pain is a subjective experience as described in the formal definition: "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage” (www.iasp-pain.org). Pain Management Page 4 of 4 Appendix A DOSING CHART Administer sucrose 2 minutes prior to start of procedure Repeat every few minutes to a maximum of 3 doses per procedure Infants subjected to 6 or more procedures/day should be reviewed for more appropriate pain management before further doses are administered. Use sucrose up to 8 doses in a 24 hours period. Oral sucrose should be included in paediatric emergency department pain management guidelines as one of the possible strategies to utilise for infants during minor painful procedures. Breastfeeding is preferable when available as parent contact, especially skin to skin provides comfort. Rebeccah Slater and colleagues (Oct 9, p 1225)1 question the benefit of sucrose for alleviating procedural pain in infants. Sucrose is safe and effective for reducing procedural pain from single events. 2006. The calming and pain-relieving effects of sucrose are thought to be mediated by endogenous opioid pathways activated by sweet taste. Indications for use Any procedural pain: heel stick, blood procurement, venepuncture, intravenous line insertion, dressing changes, adhesive tape removal, immunisations, suture removal, urinary catheter insertion, nasogastric tube insertion, etc. Pharmacological pain management can be difficult because of the medication side effects that can occur with these tiny humans, thus nonpharmacological pain management has become the ideal. Finding pain-mitigating interventions that are low-cost, effective, and feasible across all settings, including with low-resourced settings could improve primary healthcare. Pain and Sedation Assessment and Management in Newborns Page 5 OF 9 9.2 Anand, K.J.S. If a patient has more than 8 procedures in that time frame consider other methods of pain management. and the International Evidence-Based Group for Neonatal Pain, (2001). It requires us to believe that infants are fundamentally different; to really believe that children are not just small adults. Awareness of sucrose for procedural pain was lower than breastfeeding at 79%, with 53% reporting that they used sucrose in their unit. The prevention of pain in neonates should be the goal of all caregivers because painful exposures have the potential for deleterious consequences. If a baby is premature, the pain response may affect other immature body systems such as heart rate, alertness (neurological status), kidney function and other systems. Breastfeeding, sucrose and EBM for procedural pain management. An optimal dose could not be identified due to inconsistency in effective sucrose dosage among studies.Further investigation on repeated administration of sucrose in neonates and the use of sucrose in combination with oth … Glucose is also effective in decreasing pain responses, with 20% to 30% glucose solutions reducing pain scores and crying. That seems weird. There is a 2- minute peak effectiveness following administration which will provide short term pain management.