ArticlePediatric research2022
Pain management for necrotizing enterocolitis: getting the balance right.
Article in Pediatric research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Long-term impact of necrotizing enterocolitis on somatosensory function in preterm born children.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Pharmacological therapy of neonatal analgosedation: current status, dilemmas, and perspectives.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Pain management in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis: an international expert consensus statement.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Visceral Pain in Preterm Infants with Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Treatment.Paediatric drugs · 2025Review
- Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in necrotizing enterocolitis treatment: a narrative review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Review
- Global cross-sectional survey on neonatal pharmacologic sedation and analgesia practices and pain assessment tools: impact of the sociodemographic index (SDI).Pediatric research · 2024Article
- Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis: An Update on Pathophysiology, Treatment, and Prevention.Paediatric drugs · 2024Review
- Institutional and Regional Variation in Opioid Prescribing for Hospitalized Infants in the US.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Biomarkers for assessing pain and pain relief in the neonatal intensive care unit.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Current pain management practices for preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis: a European survey.Pediatric research · 2023Article
- Rescue Paracetamol in Postoperative Pain Management in Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonates Following Abdominal Surgery: A Single Unit Retrospective Study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdequate pain management for preterm born neonates suffering from the extremely painful disease necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is essential, since neonatal exposure to pain is related to negative short-term and long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to describe the current pain management and its effectiveness in NEC patients.
methodsIn this single-center, retrospective study, neonates (gestational age < 32 weeks and/or birth weight < 1500 g) with NEC Bell's stage II or III were included. Information on pain (based on COMFORTneo and NRS scores) and analgesic therapy was collected and analyzed for the acute disease period.
resultsOf 79 patients included, 74 (94%) received intravenous analgesic therapy: most commonly morphine, fentanyl, and acetaminophen. The median COMFORTneo score was 11 (IQR 10-11), however, 49 patients had at least one COMFORTneo score ≥ 14 indicating pain. Nineteen patients had persistent high pain scores ≥ 14 with a median duration of 7.2 h (IQR 2.8-14.0).
conclusionsThis study showed that despite analgesic therapy, most NEC patients showed signs of pain, and in some, pain persisted for several hours. It suggests that current analgesic therapy frequently failed to prevent pain and existing pain was often insufficiently treated. This supports the urgent need for individualized pain management guidelines for NEC patients. IMPACT: This study is unique in reporting on pain management in neonates suffering from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) during the full acute disease period. Despite analgesic therapy, the majority of NEC patients experience pain, and in some patients, pain persists for several hours. These findings highlight the need for improvement of neonatal pain management in NEC patients, including better pain monitoring and guidelines for individualized analgesic therapy. Improved pain management guidelines may help to prevent short-term and long-term consequences of neonatal exposure to pain, as well as excessive exposure to opioids.
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