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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02134873

Sucrose Practices for Pain in Neonates

Recent studies show that babies in hospital undergo an average of 4 to 5 painful procedures, such as heel lances, every day. Sucrose (sugar water) has been shown to be effective for reducing pain during invasive procedures and is a standard of care for painful procedures. The purpose of this study is to see what is the least amount of sucrose that can be given to a baby to reduce pain during procedures.

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Key information

Conditions

Pain Agnosia Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Perceptual Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

1 day–2 week

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Hospital for Sick Children

Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

About this study

Infants in the NICU receive an average of 4 - 5 painful procedures daily for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; less than half receive interventions to manage pain. Both immediate and long term effects of unmanaged pain in these vulnerable infants have been reported, including impaired brain development. To ensure optimal outcomes for hospitalized infants in NICUs, there is a crucial need to minimize procedural pain and its associated consequences. Multiple clinical trials have identified sucrose as an effective strategy for reducing procedural pain in infants. Despite its inclusion in neonatal pain guidelines, standards, and consensus statements sucrose has been inconsistently used. The under-utilization of sucrose may be explained by knowledge gaps in relation to the minimally effective dose and the influence of concurrent opioid analgesia, as well as the short and long-term effects of repeated administration. Once infants in the NICU are determined to be eligible for the study and parents consent, infants will be randomized to one of 3 dose of sucrose and their pain will be assessed using a validated pain assessment measure.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Infants 24 to 42 weeks gestational age (GA) at birth, admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and scheduled to receive a heel lance will be eligible. Parents will be approached for participation within the first 2 weeks of the infant's life. Infants will be eligible for Trial 1, the non-opioid trial, if they have not received any opioids within 24 hours prior to the heel lance. Infants will be eligible for Trial 2, the opioid trial, if they are currently receiving an opioid infusion. Furthermore, observation of the procedures will be timed to ensure that no additional sucrose doses are provided within the previous 4 hours.

Exclusion criteria

  • Infants will be excluded if they have a contraindication for sucrose administration (e.g., unable to swallow, pharmacologically muscle relaxed, or heavily sedated) due to safety concerns and/or inability to assess pain accurately (e.g., unable to clearly view the infant's face).

Treatment and study plan

Sucrose

Other

Sucrose will be administered by a research nurse experienced in neonatal intensive care using a standardized procedure and timing consistent with policies in the participating units, including: (a) administering sucrose 2 minutes prior to the heel lance to ensure peak effects; (b) giving the total volume of sucrose drop by drop via syringe on the anterior surface of the tongue, as tolerated, over a period of up to 1 minute to allow for individual infant swallowing rates and to ensure analgesic effects are sustained during the heel lance procedure; and (c) offering a pacifier for non-nutritive sucking (NNS) immediately following sucrose administration.

Other names: Brand name = Tootsweet

Primary outcomes

  1. The primary outcome is pain intensity measured using the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R).

    Time frame: Change from baseline 30 seconds post painful procedure

    Premature Infant Pain Profile- Revised is a validated pain measure to assess infant pain

Secondary outcomes

  1. The secondary outcome is pain intensity measured using the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R).

    Time frame: Change from baseline 60 seconds post painful procedure

    Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised is a validated pain measure to assess infant pain

  2. The secondary outcome is frequency of occurrence of adverse events.

    Time frame: Starting from the administration of sucrose until the end of the procedure (procedure could last on average 6 minutes) or longer if indicated.

    The potential adverse events include: heart rate >240 beats/minute or <80 beats/minute for >20 seconds, oxygen saturation <80% for > 20 seconds, no spontaneous respirations for > 20 seconds, and choking or gagging.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The Hospital for Sick Children

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Sucrose Practices for Pain in Neonates: A Program of Research: Part A (Trial 1 and 2): Determining the Minimally Effective Dose of Sucrose for Procedural Pain in Infants

Acronym: SPiN

Important dates

Study start
2013
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
May 9, 2014
Registry last updated
May 27, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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