Impact of Breast Milk on Cortical Pain Response in Newborns

Background:Newborns are exposed to painful procedures for many different reasons in the first days of their life. If pain is not relieved effectively in these newborns, neurodevelopmental and behavioral problems may occur in the short- and long-term. Objective:This study is aimed to investigate the effects of breast milk on cortical pain response and behavioral response in newborns during heel-prick procedure. Design: A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted on newborns born in a university hospital. Healthy-term newborns, undergoing heel blood sampling for newborn screening, were enrolled in the study. Infants were randomly assigned to study group with receive orally 2 ml breast milk (n=45) or a control group with no intervention (n=45) before the heel prick. A near-infrared spectroscopy device was used to monitor regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2), while neonatal pain expression was assessed by Neonatal Pain, Agitation, and Sedation Scale (N-PASS). The rScO2 measure was the primary outcome, while the N-PASS score, heart rate, SaO2, and crying time were the secondary outcomes.