SynthesisJournal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association2025
Sucrose or glucose compared to breast milk for pain control in preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy of Expressed Breast Milk Versus Sweet Solutions for Neonatal Procedural Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of Sucrose Versus Breast Milk as Non-Pharmacological Measures in the Management of Neonatal Pain: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
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
The aim of this systematic review/meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was to determine the efficacy of sucrose or glucose (SG) in preterm infants requiring heel lancing and venipuncture compared to breast milk or expressed breast milk (BM/EBM) for pain control and crying duration. Six RCTs (525 infants) comparing sucrose (24%) or glucose (30%, 10%, 25%) with BM/EBM were included. There was no difference between the alternatives in pain reduction at 30 s post-procedure measured with the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP/PIPP-R) scores (MD -0.95, 95% CI -2.43; 0.54, Low certainty evidence). SG reduced the crying duration (MD -6.88, 95%CI -11.42; -2.34, Moderate certainty evidence). There were no differences between SG and BM/EBM in heart rate change or adverse events. In conclusion, moderate certainty evidence suggests that SG may be superior to BM/EBM for reducing crying duration during heel lancing and venipuncture procedures, but not for reducing pain intensity measured with PIPP/PIPP-R.
objectiveTo determine the efficacy of sucrose or glucose (SG) in preterm infants requiring heel lancing and venipuncture compared to breast milk or expressed breast milk (BM/EBM) for pain control and crying duration. STUDY
designSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
resultsSix RCTs (525 infants) comparing sucrose (24%) or glucose (30%, 10%, 25%) with BM/EBM. There was no difference between the alternatives in pain reduction at 30 s post-procedure measured with the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP/PIPP-R) scores (MD -0.95, 95% CI -2.43; 0.54, Low certainty evidence). SG reduced the crying duration (MD -6.88, 95%CI -11.42; -2.34, Moderate certainty evidence). There were no differences between SG and BM/EBM in heart rate change or adverse events.
conclusionsModerate certainty evidence suggests that SG may be superior to BM/EBM for reducing crying duration during heel lancing and venipuncture procedures, but not for reducing pain intensity measured with PIPP/PIPP-R.
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