Pain in preterm infants: Effects of sex, gestational age, and neonatal illness severity.

Abstract

2012Pain in preterm infants: effects of sex, gestational age, and neonatal illness severity Psychol. Neurosci.,v.5,n.1,p.011-019,2012 http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/40623 Downloaded from: Biblioteca Digital da Produção Intelectual -BDPI, Universidade de São Paulo Biblioteca Digital da Produção Intelectual -BDPI Sem comunidade ScieloPsychology & Neuroscience, 2012, 5, 1, 11 -19 DOI: 10.3922/j.psns.2012 Pain in preterm infants: effects of sex, gestational age, and neonatal illness severity Most of the studies analyzed more than one of these three variables. The majority of the studies found effects of gestational age (n = 14) and neonatal illness severity (n = 11) on pain responses. Only two studies found an influence of sex on infant pain responses. In conclusion, gestational age and neonatal illness severity influence pain responses in infants born preterm. Further studies should be conducted to examine the influence of sex on pain responses.

Non-pharmacological measures in preterm newborns submitted to arterial puncture

“…Table 2 presents the numerical variables of the newborns from Group 1. To be continued weeks), during the painful procedure of venous puncture for blood collection, as well as in the comparison of two groups of neonates with different gestational ages (<30 weeks versus ≥ 30 weeks and 24-32 weeks), with 54 premature newborns during puncture of the calcaneus (4) . In this context, the information explained resembles those of the present investigation, since 14 (87.5%) of the male preterm newborns were the most reactive to the pain in the music group, compared to the female, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05).…”

“…Some studies are carried out to verify the influence of neonatal variables, such as gender, gestational age (4) ; and therapeutic variables, such as type of oxygen therapy (5) in the premature pain reaction. It is noticed that nursing has been working with methods of assistance which are increasingly focused on the relief of the pain of these children.…”

Validation of the Persian Version of Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised in Hospitalized Infants at the Neonatal Intensive Care Units

“…However, this one does not include gestational age as a variable in pain assessment (43). The pain response pattern in premature infants with different gestational ages varies (30), and pain response in premature infants is very different from term infants (28). Therefore, due to the effect of gestational age on pain scores, it can be concluded that PIPP is a more accurate pain assessment tool, particularly in premature infants.…”

“…Infants are able to fully understand and respond to pain after week 24 of pregnancy due to development of cerebral cortex (30,34). In preterm infants, the recipient area of painful stimuli is wider, descending mechanisms develop later than ascending mechanisms at birth, and neurons in the spinal cord are more irritable and more sensitive to local damage (35).…”

Factors affecting the severity of procedural pain in new-borns

“…According to Unruh and literature data, there are gender differences in the perception of pain in the adult population [14]. It has been found that women are more likely than men to experience a variety of recurring pains.…”