title: Oral sucrose and non-nutritive sucking goes some way to reducing pain during retinopathy of prematurity eye examinations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of oral sucrose combined with non-nutritive sucking for reducing pain associated with retinopathy of prematurity screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a randomised controlled study of 64 infants undergoing eye examination for retinopathy of prematurity screening. Topical anaesthetic (Proparacaine; Alcaine(®) drop 0.5%: ALCON CANADA Inc., Mississauga, Canada) was applied 30 sec before the eye examination in all infants. The infants in intervention group (Group 1, n = 32) received 0.5 mL/kg of 24% sucrose with a pacifier. The control group (Group 2, n = 32) received 0.5 mL/kg of sterile water with a pacifier.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups had similar gestational ages (28.5 ± 2.8 weeks), mean birthweight (1304 ± 466 g) or corrected gestational age (35.4 ± 3.7 weeks) at examination. The intervention group had a significantly lower mean Premature Infant Pain Profile score during examination of the first eye, following insertion of the speculum (Group 1:13.7 ± 2.1 vs. Group 2:16.4 ± 1.8, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although sucrose combined with non-nutritive sucking modestly reduces pain scores during eye examinations, there is need to further studies to explore significant pain relief for infants undergoing retinopathy of prematurity screening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Dr Sami Ulus Maternity and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dilli
authors.forename: Nisa Eda Çullas
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: İlarslan
authors.forename: Emrah Utku
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Kabataş
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zenciroğlu
authors.forename: Yıldız
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Şimşek
authors.forename: Nurullah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okumuş
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D041361:Pacifiers; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012178:Retinopathy of Prematurity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D013395:Sucrose / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014787:Vision Tests / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose
keywords: Eye examination; Non-nutritive sucking; Pain; Retinopathy of prematurity; Sucrose