Comparison pain relieving effects of glucose and water in neonates

Background: Newborns routinely undergo painful procedures. Several methods have been used to relieve pain in neonates. The objective of this study was to assess the analgesic effect of 50% glucose and water during hepatitis B vaccination.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 90 term neonates were studied. Infants were randomly assigned to one of the three equal sized groups. First, heart rates were measured by ECG monitor. Then, 2mL of either 50% glucose or sterile water was administered into the mouth of infants in group one and two, respectively. No intervention was undertaken for group three. During and up to three minutes after the vaccination crying of the babies was recorded. The heart rates were measured during injection until 60 seconds.
Findings: The mean values of duration of crying for glucose, water, and no-intervention groups were 21.1 s, 33.3 s, and 56.9 s, respectively, which were significantly different (p=0.0003). Post hoc test revealed substantial differences between group one and three (p=0.0001) and between group two and three (p=0.006). However, groups one and two were not statistically different (p=0.19). Moreover, heart rate did not rise significantly in any of these groups. Conclusion: Both 50% glucose and water showed an analgesic effect in neonates.