title: Glucose or sucrose as an analgesic for newborns: a randomised controlled blind trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the effect of different oral glucose or sucrose solutions on the pain response to heelstick in newborns.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  randomised double blind placebo controlled trial of water (control) versus one of three solutions of glucose - namely 5, 33 and 50% - or one of two solutions of sucrose (33% and 50%) or nothing.
  
  
  METHODS
  postnatal ward.
  
  
  METHODS
  seven groups of 20 healthy newborns (gestational age 38-41, weighing over 2500 g) were randomised to receive 2 ml of one of the six solutions on the tongue inmediately before heelstick procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  heart rate before, during and three minutes after the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even if the trend of the cardiac rates did not reach statistic significance, glucose solution 33 and 50% proved to be the most effective in reducing pain response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sweet solutions may be an easy, useful, safe and cheap analgesic for minor invasive procedures in newborns.
authors.affiliation: Ospedale SS. Pietro e Paolo, Divisione Pediatrica, ASL n. 11, Borgosesia, Vercelli, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guala
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pastore
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Liverani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giroletti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gulino
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Meriggi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Licardi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garipoli
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005947:Glucose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose; D005947:Glucose