Randomized controlled double masked crossover trial comparing Kangaroo Mother Care and Sucrose in Reducing Pain in Preterm Neonates on Heel Prick

.International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Sucrose has been shown to be effective. Breast feeding is effective, but has only been reported to be used for pain control in full-term neonates. Premature infants are not being breast fed during the days when most invasive procedures are carried out as they may not have the developmental maturity. It is proposed that it may be the contact of breast feeding, and not the breast milk per se, which is efficacious in decreasing pain . Thus for the preterm group, KMC would be a cost effective analgesic and provide mothers a greater sense of responsibility for their sick babies. Studies have compared the effect of KMC and oral sucrose on pain response in neonates and show that KMC acts synergistically with other nonpharmacological modalities in reducing pain . Multiple studies have shown the benefits of Kangaroo mother care and oral Sucroseon neonatal pain reduction.

Neonates born prematurely who spend the initial weeks of their lives in NICUs, undergo many invasive procedures (an average of 2–3/d, up to 8–10 /d) without benefit of analgesia of which heel pricking is one of the most common procedure.pain associated with routine procedures in preterm neonates is associated with abnormal neurodevelopment,the effects of which may be persistent so it is of extreme importance to treat and reduce pain, especially premature neonates during their stay within the NICU.