Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses
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Pain assessment and measurement are the cornerstones of pain management. Pain assessment connotes a comprehensive multidimensional description. Conversely, pain measurement provides a numeric quantitative description of each factor illustrating pain qualities. ⋯ Integration of pain management into daily practice remains problematic. Understanding how each instrument measures infant pain allows clinicians to make better decisions about what instrument to use with which infant and in what circumstances. In addition, novel new measurement techniques need further testing.
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Late-onset sepsis continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in very low-birth-weight infants. Earlier detection of infection with heart rate variability monitoring through the use of the HeRO monitor has been shown to reduce mortality rate by 22%. This article reviews how HeRO is used to assist in earlier diagnosis and treatment of infection.