Neurophysiological and behavioural measures of pain during neonatal hip examination

• Introduction and Purpose: In Sweden, all newborns are examined before discharge from the maternity ward to rule out innate abnormalities. Parts of this procedure, such as the hip examination, appear to cause pain and discomfort. Pain in newborns can have both short- and long-term negative consequences and preventing and treating this pain is therefore an important part of medical care. There are several ways to recognize and assess pain in newborn infants. Scales such as the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R) are recommended, but recently physiological and neurophysiological measures, e.g. Near-in-frared spectroscopy (NIRS) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) have been suggested as superior pain measuring methods. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that neonatal hip examination causes pain in newborns.Methods: The infant was placed on an examination table and a video camera was placed so the face of the newborn was filmed. A pulse oximeter probe, NIRS optodes and GSR electrodes were attached to the infant. Heart auscultation was chosen to be used as a non-painful comparative to hip examination.Results: The results showed higher pain scoring for the hip examination than for the heart auscultation. NIRS, showed a significant difference in HbO2 on both sides of cortex (p=0,011 and p=0,017). Mean PIPP-R went from 3.0 during the heart auscultation to 8.1 during the hip examination (p=0.000). GSR analyses showed significant increase in area under small peaks during the hip examination (p=0.016), however not when measured in peaks per second (p=0.104). The interrater reliability for NIRS interpretations had an ICC-range of 0,93-1,0 (p<0,001). Conclusion: We conclude that neonatal hip examinations are painful and that the pain should be treated, e.g. with oral sweet solution.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Pediatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Pediatrics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Pain

newborn infant

hip examination

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)