• Anna Axelin, Sanna Salanterä, Jarkko Kirjavainen, and Liisa Lehtonen.
• Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. anna.axelin@utu.fi
• Clin J Pain. 2009 Feb 1; 25 (2): 138-45.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of "facilitated tucking by parents" (FTP) in which a parent holds by her hands the infant in a side-lying flexed position offering support and skin contact, oral glucose, opioid (oxycodone), and placebo (oral water) in the context of heel stick and pharyngeal suctioning in very preterm infants. We hypothesized that nonpharmacologic methods equal the pharmacologic method and are superior to placebo in pain management.MethodsA prospective randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial. The study patients (n=20) were born at a mean gestational age of 28(+1) weeks and were studied at postconceptional age of 28 to 32 weeks. Pain measurements with Premature Infant Pain Profile and Neonatal Infant Pain Scale covered the first 30 seconds after the beginning of the painful stimulus.ResultsPremature Infant Pain Profile scores were significantly lower with oral glucose (mean: 4.85+/-1.73, PDiscussionOur study demonstrated that FTP is not just equal, but preferable to other pain management methods when both efficacy and safety are considered.

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