Oral Sucrose and a Pacifier for Pain Relief During Simple Procedures in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

T reating pain in the newborn is essential for many reasons, both clinical and ethical. Pain can lead to decreased oxygenation, hemodynamic instab b bility, and increased intracranial pressure. For neonates receiving intensive care, it is widely accepted that central analgesics, administered intravenously, should be used to relieve pain. 1 However, infants who are less sick or who are not in neonatal intensive care units usually do not receive an analgesic for painful procedures. Obviously, central anb b algesics cannot be used for pain associated with occasional blood sampling performed in newborns not in intensive care. It is therefore essential to find simple, acceptable, and wellbtolerated methods to reduce pain in these infants.