Breast Milk vs Sucrose in Relieving Procedural Pain in Preterm Neonates During Blood Draw by Automated Heel Lance

Skin breaking procedure through an automated heel lancet for blood draws is a common painful procedure in the Neonatal Intensive care unit (NICU). Recurrent pain in preterm neonates is associated with long-term complications. The primary objective of the study is to compare pain scores between two groups (24% sucrose and breast milk) during blood draw using an automated heel lancet in preterm neonates. The investigator conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial in preterm neonates, to compare the pain scores in infants receiving either breast milk or sucrose. Premature Infant pain profile- Revised pain profile is used to assign pain scores. The primary outcome measure is the comparison of pain scores between the two groups.