ArticleCureus2025
Efficacy of Dextrose Versus Breast Milk on Pain and Comfort in Neonates Undergoing Heel Lance: A Pilot Study.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background Heel-lance procedures are routinely performed in neonates for blood sampling but are known to cause significant pain and distress. Managing procedural pain in newborns is essential not only to ensure immediate comfort but also to promote positive early interactions with healthcare. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of 25% dextrose and expressed breast milk in reducing pain and enhancing comfort in neonates undergoing heel-lance procedures. Methods A quasi-experimental study with pre-test post-test design was undertaken in Lumbini Provincial Hospital and Siddhartha Women and Children Hospital of Lumbini Province, Nepal. A total of 14 neonates admitted to the intensive care unit and meeting the eligibility criteria were taken as the sample of the study. The neonates were assigned to two groups. i.e., intervention group (n=7) who received 2 mL of 25% glucose and control group who received 2ml of breast milk (n=7), two minutes before the heel-lance procedure. Pain and comfort were assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised (PIPP-R) and the Modified Comfort Behaviour Scale (MCBS) at baseline and following the lancing procedure. PIPP-R and MCBS scales were validated with reliability coefficients of 0.76 and 0.82, respectively. The data was analysed descriptively and inferentially using a parametric test. Results The mean birth weight of the neonates was 2920 ± 430 grams. Post-intervention analysis showed that the mean PIPP-R score was significantly lower in the 25% dextrose group (3.5 ± 0.78) compared to the expressed breast milk group (8.57 ± 1.51) (P < 0.01), indicating greater pain relief in the dextrose group. Similarly, discomfort levels at 2- and 4-minute post-procedure were significantly reduced in the dextrose group across both sessions (p < 0.01). A strong positive correlation was observed between post-procedural pain and discomfort scores (r = 0.84, p < 0.01), suggesting that higher pain was associated with greater discomfort. Conclusion The study findings indicate that 25% dextrose is more effective than expressed breast milk in reducing pain and discomfort in neonates undergoing heel-lance procedures. Incorporating 25% dextrose as a simple, safe, and effective pain management strategy can enhance neonatal comfort during routine clinical interventions.
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.