Premature babies are sensitive to pain

Tests at University College London suggest procedures like tube feeding, injections and blood tests make pre-term infants more sensitive to pain.

Better pain relief should be given to premature babies in intensive care, say the researchers.

The study measured the brain activity of babies with an electroencephalogram (EEG) while they underwent routine heel lancing to draw blood samples.

Stronger brain activity was seen for premature infants who had bee in hospital for at least 40 days, compared to healthy babies of the same age, suggesting the premature group are more sensitive to pain.

When both groups of babies were gently touched on the heel there was no difference in brain activity, however, suggesting that sensitisation of preterm babies is specific to pain rather than touch.

According to the researchers, this implies that premature babies can benefit from a mother’s touch in the same way as normal infants.

The study, supports previous studies that reported increased sensitivity to pain in older children who were born prematurely.

Lead researcher, Dr Rebeccah Slater, said: “Our Study shows that being born prematurely and undergoing intensive care affects pain processing in the infant brain.

“Our ability to measure brain responses to painful events will lead to a better and more informed approach to the administration of analgesia, and enable us to define optimal ways of providing pain relief in this vulnerable population.”

Andy Cole, chief executive of special care baby charity Bliss, says it is imperative that babies receive good quality pain management to minimise any pain during treatment.

“Babies in intensive care for prolonged periods are usually critically ill and require these life saving procedures.

“Doctors and nurses use a range of techniques to ensure babies’ pain is kept to a minimum.”