Multidimensional pain assessment of preterm newborns at the 1st, 3rd and 7th days of life

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: It is challenge to assess and treat pain in premature infants. The objective of this study was to compare the multidimensional pain assessment of preterm neonates subjected to an acute pain stimulus at 24 hours, 72 hours and seven days of life. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study, at Universidade Federal de São Paulo. METHODS: Eleven neonates with gestational age less than 37 weeks that needed venepuncture for blood collection were studied. The exclusion criteria were Apgar score < 7 at five minutes, presence of any central nervous system abnormality, and discharge or death before seven days of life. Venepuncture was performed in the dorsum of the hand, and the heart rate, oxygen saturation and pain scales [Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS), Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), and Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP)] were assessed at 24 hours, 72 hours and 7 days of life. NFCS and NIPS were evaluated prior to procedure (Tpre), during venepuncture (T0), and two (T2) and five (T5) minutes after needle withdrawal. Heart rate, O2 saturation and PIPP were measured at Tpre and T0. Mean values were compared by repeated-measurement analysis of variance. RESULTS: The pain parameters did not differ at 24 hours, 72 hours and 7 days of life: heart rate (p = 0.22), oxygen saturation (p = 0.69), NFCS (p = 0.40), NIPS (p = 0.32) and PIPP (p = 0.56). CONCLUSION: Homogeneous pain scores were observed following venepuncture in premature infants during their first week of life