Thermal Analgesia in Newborns

Newborns routinely experience pain associated with invasive procedures such as blood
sampling, immunization, vitamin K injection, or circumcision. Prevention of pain is both an
ethical expectation and a professional imperative, as untreated pain has deleterious
consequences including altered pain sensitivity in later childhood and may be related to the
permanent neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities as found in animal models. Moreover,
pain is a source of concern and distress for new parents. Yet, pain reducing therapies are
often underused for the numerous minor procedures that are a part of routine medical and
nursing care for neonates. Growing scientific and clinical literature provides evidence for
the effectiveness of natural, non-pharmacological techniques in both animal and human
newborns. This study compares the pain reliving effects of sweet taste to the combination of
sweet taste and warmth.