• Cindy Smith Greenberg.
• California State University, Fullerton Department of Nursing, Lake Forest, CA, USA.
• Pediatr Nurs. 2002 May 1; 28 (3): 271-7.

PurposeTo examine the efficacy of pacifiers and sugar, alone and in combination, for pain management in neonates.MethodsAn experimental design examined pain responses of 84 newborns undergoing heelstick. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (a) water-moistened pacifier, (b) sugar-coated pacifier, (c) 2 cc of a 12% oral sucrose solution, or (d) control. Pain measures were duration of cry, vagal tone, and salivary cortisol.ResultsMultivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that the sugar-coated pacifier group cried significantly less than the water-moistened pacifier and control groups. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that the sugar-coated pacifier group demonstrated significantly lower vagal tone during heelstick than the oral sucrose solution and control groups. This difference between the sugar-coated pacifier and control groups persevered for 15 minutes after heelstick.ConclusionsOffering a sugar coated pacifier during heelstick in healthy neonates reduces pain behaviors more effectively than a water-moistened pacifier, 2 cc of a 12% sucrose solution, or no intervention.

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