Sucrose or glucose compared to breast milk for pain control in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review/meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was to determine the efficacy of sucrose or glucose (SG) in preterm infants requiring heel lancing and venipuncture compared to breast milk or expressed breast milk (BM/EBM) for pain control and crying duration. Six RCTs (525 infants) comparing sucrose (24%) or glucose (30%, 10%, 25%) with BM/EBM were included. There was no difference between the alternatives in pain reduction at 30 s post-procedure measured with the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP/PIPP-R) scores (MD -0.95, 95% CI -2.43; 0.54, Low certainty evidence). SG reduced the crying duration (MD -6.88, 95%CI -11.42; -2.34, Moderate certainty evidence). There were no differences between SG and BM/EBM in heart rate change or adverse events. In conclusion, moderate certainty evidence suggests that SG may be superior to BM/EBM for reducing crying duration during heel lancing and venipuncture procedures, but not for reducing pain intensity measured with PIPP/PIPP-R. Objective: To determine the efficacy of sucrose or glucose (SG) in preterm infants requiring heel lancing and venipuncture compared to breast milk or expressed breast milk (BM/EBM) for pain control and crying duration. Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Results: Six RCTs (525 infants) comparing sucrose (24%) or glucose (30%, 10%, 25%) with BM/EBM. There was no difference between the alternatives in pain reduction at 30 s post-procedure measured with the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP/PIPP-R) scores (MD -0.95, 95% CI -2.43; 0.54, Low certainty evidence). SG reduced the crying duration (MD -6.88, 95%CI -11.42; -2.34, Moderate certainty evidence). There were no differences between SG and BM/EBM in heart rate change or adverse events. Conclusions: Moderate certainty evidence suggests that SG may be superior to BM/EBM for reducing crying duration during heel lancing and venipuncture procedures, but not for reducing pain intensity measured with PIPP/PIPP-R.

• Autores: Flórez Gómez, Iván Darío; Acosta Reyes, Jorge Luis; Shahid, Shaneela
• Tipo de recurso: Review article
• Fecha de publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/48066
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/10495/48066
• Palabra clave: Evaluación de Resultado en la Atención de Salud; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Pediatría Integrativa; Integrative Pediatrics; Signos y Síntomas; Signs and Symptoms; Recien Nacido Prematuro; Infant, Premature; Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como Asunto; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Llanto; Crying; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D017063; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D012816; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D007234; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D016032; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D003448; ODS 3: Salud y bienestar. Garantizar una vida sana y promover el bienestar de todos a todas las edades
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/