“Holding–Cuddling” and Sucrose for Pain Relief During Venepuncture in Newborn Infants: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (CÂSA)

Objectives: Oral sucrose is commonly used to provide analgesia to neonates during painful procedures, such as venepuncture. The additional benefits of reducing pain during venepuncture when oral sucrose is combined with nonpharmacological strategies have not been extensively studied. This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of oral sucrose with nonnutritive sucking vs. oral sucrose with nonnutritive sucking plus “holding–cuddling” for pain management during venepuncture in term infants from birth to 3 months of life. Methods: Seventy-eight infants were equally randomized to receive 24% oral sucrose with nonnutritive sucking (control group) or 24% oral sucrose with nonnutritive sucking plus “holding–cuddling” (being held in a secure, cuddling position; experimental group) before venepuncture. Behavioral response to pain was measured by the 0–10 ranking scale “acute pain for neonates (APN)” at 30 and 60 s after venepuncture. Results: Within the study sample, APN scores were ≥ 2 for 32/68 (47%) infants. “Holding–cuddling” did not significantly reduce mean APN scores at 30 and 60 s, but the rate of infants experiencing a high pain score (APN ≥ 8) at 60 s after the venepuncture was significantly lower in the experimental group compared to controls [4/34 vs. 12/34 (p = 0.04)]. Conclusions: Venepuncture is a painful procedure in newborn and young infants. The implementation of behavioral strategies in association with oral sucrose may mitigate pain during this procedure. Clinical Trial Registration: This trial was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT number 02803723).