SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2023
Sucrose analgesia for heel-lance procedures in neonates.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Physical Interventions Administered Orally for Infants for Reducing Distress During Vaccine Injections.The Clinical journal of pain · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of white noise on pain levels in newborns: a meta-analysis study.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Sucrose analgesia for venepuncture in neonates.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Neonatal pain assessment and non-pharmacological analgesia: an integrative literature review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Sucrose or glucose compared to breast milk for pain control in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025Pooled it
- Assessment of cortisol as a neonatal pain biomarker in the application of non-pharmacological analgesia therapies: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Analgesic utility of automatic lancing device for heel prick in neonates: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Pain management · 2024Pooled it
- The efficacy of oral sucrose for relieving lumbar puncture pain in neonates: a randomised clinical trial.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Trial
- Lingual frenotomy for breastfeeding difficulties: indications, surgical techniques and multidisciplinary care in infants and young children.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Review
- Pain Management During Neonatal Blood Sampling: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2026Review
- Analgosedation in Neonatal Intensive Care: Current Strategies, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Vulnerability and Pediatric Pain.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2026Article
- Effective strategies to reduce pain and anxiety in infants during routine needle-related medical procedures.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Comparators, consent, equipoise and estimands: ethical trade-offs in neonatal pain trials.Translational pediatrics · 2026Article
- A Comprehensive Evidence-Based Review of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions for Neonatal Pain.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Sweet relief or lasting impacts? Review of neonatal pain and sucrose in developing rodents.Pain reports · 2025Article
- Managing pain in newborns: A multidimensional approach.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Review
- Pain management in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis: an international expert consensus statement.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Neonatal Sucrose and Internalizing Behaviors at 18 Months in Children Born Very Preterm.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- High-Resolution LC-MS Simultaneous Quantification of Forty-Six Compounds fromMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSucrose has been examined for calming and pain-relieving effects in neonates for invasive procedures such as heel lance.
objectivesTo assess the effectiveness of sucrose for relieving pain from heel lance in neonates in terms of immediate and long-term outcomes SEARCH
methodsWe searched (February 2022): CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, and three trial registries. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials where term and/or preterm neonates received sucrose for heel lances. Comparison treatments included water/placebo/no intervention, non-nutritive sucking (NNS), glucose, breastfeeding, breast milk, music, acupuncture, facilitated tucking, and skin-to-skin care. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard Cochrane methods. We reported mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the fixed-effect model for continuous outcome measures. We assessed heterogeneity by the I MAIN
resultsWe included 55 trials (6273 infants): 29 included term neonates, 22 included preterm neonates, and four included both. Heel lance was investigated in 50 trials; 15 investigated other minor painful procedures in addition to lancing. Sucrose vs control The evidence suggests that sucrose probably results in a reduction in PIPP scores compared to the control group at 30 seconds (MD -1.74 (95% CI -2.11 to -1.37); I AUTHORS'
conclusionsSucrose compared to control probably results in a reduction of PIPP scores 30 and 60 seconds after single heel lances (moderate-certainty evidence). Evidence is very uncertain about the effect of sucrose compared to NNS, breastfeeding, laser acupuncture, facilitated tucking, and the effect of sucrose + NNS compared to NNS in reducing pain. Sucrose compared to glucose, expressed breast milk, and skin-to-skin care shows little to no difference in pain scores. Sucrose combined with other nonpharmacologic interventions should be used with caution, given the uncertainty of evidence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.