Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40369136›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of pediatrics2025

Pain management in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis: an international expert consensus statement.

Judith A Ten Barge, Gerbrich E van den Bosch, Karel Allegaert, Aomesh Bhatt, Nicola Brindley, Dearbhla Byrne, Marsha Campbell-Yeo, Marta Camprubi-Camprubi, Giacomo Cavallaro, Xavier Durrmeyer and 28 more

Abstract readConsensus Statement
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Necrotizing enterocolitis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

38 authors.

Judith A Ten BargeDepartment of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.tenbarge@erasmusmc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3602-2848
Gerbrich E van den BoschDepartment of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1862-1334
Karel AllegaertDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9921-5105
Aomesh BhattDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6206-0576
Nicola BrindleyDepartment of Surgical Paediatrics, Royal Hospital For Sick Children, Glasgow, UK.
Dearbhla ByrneDiscipline of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Marsha Campbell-YeoSchool of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6645-2809
Marta Camprubi-CamprubiDepartment of Neonatology, BCNatal, Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9202-4664
Giacomo CavallaroNeonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4921-1437
Xavier DurrmeyerNeonatal Intensive Care Unit, CHI Créteil, Créteil, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6303-7252
Nicholas EmbletonPopulation Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3750-5566
Mats ErikssonFaculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5996-2584
Robert B FlintDepartment of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3658-594X
Felipe GarridoDepartment of Pediatrics, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8835-0667
Maria Lorella GiannìNeonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3901-9131
Eric GiannoniClinic of Neonatology, Department Mother-Woman-Child, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0897-6529
Heather KittDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2127-5279
Daphne KlerkDivision of Neonatology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0994-2120
Guðrún KristjánsdóttirFaculty of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1616-7687
Abigail Kusi AmponsahDepartment of Public Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Alexandre LapillonneDepartment of Neonatology, Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, APHP, Paris, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1872-4176
Camilia R MartinDivision of Neonatology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Melinda MatyasDepartment of Neonatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0677-5846
Elisabeth NormanPediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6346-8899
Shalini OhjaFaculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Sofie PirlotteNeonatology, UZ Brussel, Jette, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0054-9880
Ruth Del RioDepartment of Neonatology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
Jean-Michel RouéDepartment of Neonatal Medicine, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5734-7254
Catarina SevivasDepartment of Neonatology, BCNatal, Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3996-3798
Rebeccah SlaterDepartment of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1595-4846
Anne SmitsDepartment of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0710-6698
Miguel Saenz de PipaonNeonatology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz-IdiPAZ (La Paz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4793-1561
Manon TauzinNeonatal Intensive Care Unit, CHI Créteil, Créteil, France.
Tiina UkkonenResearch Unit of Clinical Medicine, and MRC Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-7843-2647
Sezin UnalDivision of Neonatology, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5124-4422
Eduardo VillamorMosaKids Children's Hospital, Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC +), School for Oncology and Reproduction (GROW), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Eleanor J MolloyDiscipline of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6798-2158
Sinno H P SimonsDepartment of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Division of Neonatology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5219-5696

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is probably the most painful intestinal disease affecting infants born preterm. NEC is known to cause highly severe and prolonged pain that has been associated with adverse short- and long-term effects. However, research on pain management in infants with NEC is scarce. This is likely due to its low incidence and very acute occurrence. As a result, the optimal pain management for these vulnerable infants remains unknown, and analgesic therapy practices are highly variable. Therefore, we aimed to establish expert-based consensus recommendations on pain management for NEC. Experts of the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) Special Interest Groups on Neonatal pain and NEC were invited to participate in two consensus meetings. Prior to the first hybrid consensus meeting, an online survey provided input for potential recommendations. During the consensus meetings, experts shared clinical expertise and voted on recommendations. An expert consensus statement, comprising nine recommendations on optimal pain assessment and pain treatment in infants with NEC, was developed. Expert recommendations included regular pain assessments with a neonatal pain scale with additional assessments on indication and pre-emptive administration of analgesic therapy (e.g., paracetamol and an opioid) in infants with NEC stage ≥ II.

conclusionThis expert consensus statement provides clinical recommendations essential for any healthcare professional caring for premature infants with NEC. The recommended guidance this statement provides on pain management strategies is key to preventing and reducing pain in this vulnerable population. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a very painful disease, making effective pain management essential. • Current pain management practices for infants with NEC are highly variable. WHAT IS NEW: • This expert consensus statement provides recommendations on optimal pain assessment and pain treatment in infants with NEC. • These clinical recommendations may help better prevent pain in these vulnerable infants.

Indexed as

AnalgesicsEnterocolitis, NecrotizingInfant, Premature, DiseasesPainPain ManagementConsensusHumansInfant, NewbornInfant, PrematurePain MeasurementAnalgesicsNecrotizing enterocolitisPain managementPreterm infants

Identifiers

PMID40369136
PMCPMC12078406

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.