Asked and Answered: Sweet Solutions Are Effective for Procedural Pain Control in Neonates

Sweet solutions, such as those containing sucrose or glucose, have been shown to induce endogenous opioid analgesic mechanisms and improve pain for neonates during painful procedures. These authors conducted a cumulative meta-analysis to estimate the mean effect size and to demonstrate the strength of evidence in favor of sweet solutions. Cumulative meta-analyses chronologically add data based on study publication date to determine the point at which combined results first became statistically significant.

Using a robust search strategy, the authors identified 168 randomized, controlled trials of oral sweet solutions for procedural pain control in neonates, with outcomes of crying time or validated pain scores.

Meta-analysis of 29 trials invo…