Effects of Oral Sucrose Solution for Pain Relief in Premature Infants during Tracheal Suction

Abstract: The present study was quasi-experimental research with a one-group crossover design aimed at investigating the effects of oral sucrose solution on behavioral responses to pain, heart rates, and oxygen saturation. The study subjects were 30 premature infants who were on mechanical ventilation and who were admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit and recruited by means of purposive sampling. Each premature infant was randomly assigned a stage to begin with: i.e. received oral sucrose solution or received only routine nursing care. A video recording was made throughout the process. The premature infants’ behavioral responses were evaluated by using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale. The descriptive statistics were used to analyze data regarding demographic characteristics, Dependent t-test and Wilcoxon signedrank test. The results of this study are as follows: During tracheal suction, the mean score of pain of the premature infants who received oral sucrose solution before tracheal suction was lower than that of the premature infants who received only routine nursing care with statistical significance. The median scores of pain at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after tracheal suction of the premature infants who received oral sucrose solution were lower than those of the premature infants who received only routine nursing care, and during tracheal suction and at 1 minute after tracheal suction, the mean oxygen saturation of the premature infants who received oral sucrose solution was higher than that of who received only routine nursing care with statistical significance. However, the mean oxygen saturation at 3 and 5 minutes after tracheal suction and mean heart rates during tracheal suction and at 1, 3, and 5 minutes after tracheal suction in both stages were not different with statistical significance. Therefore, administration of oral sucrose solution before tracheal suction is effective for pain relief in premature infants. Keywords: Premature infants, Tracheal suction, Pain, Sucrose