Bounty

Sugar given to newborn babies before medical procedures does not ease their pain, says a new study that contradicts advice provided in international clinical guidelines.

The current practice of giving sucrose as a pain reliever for babies undergoing hospital procedures, such as taking blood samples, follows several previous clinical trials.

Doctor have assumed that sugar eases the infants' discomfort because changes in their facial expressions appear to suggest so.

But the latest study, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and published in the journal The Lancet, shows that feeding babies sugar only alters their facial expression but has no impact on the pain centres in the brain.

Researchers led by Rebeccah Slater, from University College London, observed 59 newborn babies who were given standard heel lance pricks, an unavoidably painful procedure, to collect blood samples.

Half the babies were given half a millilitre of 24% sucrose solution before undergoing the procedure while the rest received ordinary sterile water.

During the procedure, the infants' brain waves were measured by means of encephalograph (EEG) electrodes attached to the scalp.

The study showed that activity in the pain areas of the brain did not alter when babies were fed sugar. Leg reflex reactions which indicate discomfort in babies were also no different between the two groups.

Despite this, a pain score called the premature infant pain profile (PIPP) - based on observed behaviour and facial expression - was significantly lower in infants given sucrose.

Scientists say their finding could have "significant implications" for the care of babies in hospital.

Copyright Press Association 2010