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REVIEW ARTICLE
intragastrically administered sucrose.31 Furthermore, using c-fos expression, with effects persisting well beyond the
However, as in human infants, the liter- they were able to map sucrose-induced initial sucrose dose.40 Numerous sub-
ature is confounded in part by the activity in the CNS and showed that the sequent studies reported the same
difficulty in distinguishing between a solitary tract in the brainstem was findings.41–47 Calming effects were
calming and pain-relieving effect33 (ie, activated. Because this is the primary clearly nonsedating, with infants re-
separation of stress from nociceptive relay in the ascending gustatory path- maining alert after sucrose adminis-
responses). way, it is not surprising that there is tration.19 In addition, effects were
There are few firm conclusions to be activity after intraoral sucrose in ani- observed to be sweet-taste dependent,
drawn from the animal literature on the mals. However, they also found evi- sucrose was more effective than glu-
mechanism of sucrose. Variability in dence of activity in brainstem areas cose, and the least sweet sugar, lac-
age of animals, modality of testing, associated with descending pain mod- tose, was no more effective than water
sucrose dose, and timing of adminis- ulation, the periaqueductal gray, and in reducing crying. To further test the
tration makes direct comparison be- raphe nucleus.37 The medullary raphe endogenous opioid basis of sweet-
tween studies difficult. Using c-fos as nucleus is a critical mediator of en- taste-induced calming, the response
a surrogate of neural activity combined dogenous analgesia and modulates the of sucrose in infants born to mothers
with behavioral testing, Anseloni and analgesic actions of opioids.38 Fur- on methadone was evaluated.19 Be-
thermore, the ingestion of hedonic cause infants exposed to antenatal
colleagues showed an age-dependent
foodstuffs (eg, sucrose) is associated methadone have a poorly functioning
analgesic action of sucrose in rat
with analgesia.39 This effect has been endogenous opioid system, it was
pups.32 Noxious activation of spinal c-fos,
proposed to be a consequence of sup- hypothesized that the sweet-taste-
was significantly reduced with su-
pressed reactions to distracting (ie, mediated analgesic mechanism would
crose. Using reflex withdrawal thresh-
painful) stimuli mediated by the raphe not function in these infants.19 Findings
olds to a noxious stimulus, Anseloni
nucleus.39 In the adult rat model, the supported the hypothesis-, sucrose was
and colleagues demonstrated a post-
brainstem-spinal cord projections are ineffective in calming methadone ex-
natal window of efficacy of sucrose
an important source of nociceptive
restricted to the first 2 or 3 weeks of posed infants suffering from withdrawal
processing in the spinal cord. In the symptoms, adding evidence to the as-
life and also a clear rostrocaudal de-
neonate, however, the descending in- sociation among sweet taste, an intact
velopmental gradient of this effect,
hibitory influences are not fully ma- endogenous opioid system, and analge-
with a delayed effect of sucrose on
ture,34,35 and descending inhibitory sia. Until recently, this was the only study
hind-paw responses compared with
tone can only be detected after the examining effects of sucrose in infants
forepaw.
third postnatal week in rats.35,36 As with antenatal opioid exposure.
Considerable postnatal development such, the influence of oral sucrose on
occurs in central nervous system (CNS) these structures and central nocicep- From these studies demonstrating
structures involved in both nociception tive processing is unclear and requires calming effects of sucrose on crying
and opiate-receptor-dependent modu- further elucidation. Both the ascending infants, the research questions turned
lation of nociceptive input,34–36 which gustatory and associated descending to whether sucrose reduced pain if
accounts for these changing sucrose pathways are known to have an opioid- given before painful procedures. In
responses in animals. In another study, receptor-mediated modulated compo- the first published report of a placebo-
to elucidate the central pathways that nent, but where specifically within this controlled RCT of sucrose for procedural
mediate the effects of sucrose, Anse- pathway the antagonistic effects of pain in newborn infants, sucrose sig-
loni and colleagues again used c-fos opioid blockade on oral sucrose effects nificantly reduced crying during a heel
activity in CNS neurons and behav- occurs is unclear. lance and resulted in a more rapid
ioral reflex responses to probe into return to a calm state compared to
higher centers of the CNS.37 Through water.48 Additionally, the combination
the use of midcollicular lesions, they HUMAN MODEL STUDIES of 24% sucrose solution and non-
were able to isolate higher centers (eg, While the role of sucrose in reducing nutritive sucking (NNS) significantly
the forebrain), and show that sucrose pain and stress in animal models was reduced crying duration during cir-
persisted in attenuating the behavioral being studied, effects in human infants cumcision, compared with no treat-
nociceptive responses in the rat pups, were also being evaluated. In 1989, ment or NNS with water.48
indicating that forebrain circuitry is Blass and colleagues first reported that The compelling evidence from these
not required for the activity of sucrose. sucrose was extraordinarily calming early studies demonstrating profound
4 HARRISON et al
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REVIEW ARTICLE
behavioral responses to pain is repor- withdrawal. No group differences in received sucrose during heel lance.72
ted be only 0.3.64 The dissociation, di- PIPP scores, heart rate, or oxygen sat- Both RCTs showed that sucrose was
rection, and degree of responses is uration were reported. In fact, PIPP more effective than NNS alone or
common among all types of pain indi- scores across all infants were all low, standard care,75,76 and sucrose alone
cators across all ages, illustrating the suggesting efficacy of sucrose even in was more effective than NNS and topi-
complexity of the responses to noci- the context of methadone exposure and cal anesthetic during repeated sub-
ceptive stimuli and the subjective withdrawal. The study had a number of cutaneous injections, although the
phenomenon of pain.64 Given this limitations due to unblinding, and the combination of all 3 interventions had
complexity and weak correlation small sample size of infants receiving the largest effect.76 Harrison et al72
among various types of indicators, morphine (n = 8 infants). Given the in- reported that behavioral indicators of
the ongoing, fundamental question consistency of results with the only pain remained persistently low with no
remains whether there is an optimal previous study evaluating sucrose for increase in these parameters over the
indicator(s) of pain and what it might methadone exposed infants,19 more full course of infants’ hospitalization.
be in infants. The dissociation among research in this area is warranted. In addition, changes in physiologic
behavioral, physiologic, and cortical The previously established evidence parameters in response to heel lance
responses illustrates that 1 pain out- regarding the ability of opioid antago- remained stable over the course of
come or 1 indicator of pain does not hospitalization. To date, these are the
nists to block analgesic effects of sweet
sufficiently capture the complete pic- only studies examining prolonged use
solutions has also been called into
ture of pain. of sweet solutions for procedural pain
question. Although in animal models,
management.
Another key unanswered question is to naloxone blocked analgesic effects of
what extent the sweet-taste-mediated sucrose,32 this same effect was not Prolonged use of sucrose raises im-
endogenous opioid effects occur in demonstrated in human newborn portant questions related to effective-
the context of exogenous opioid de- infants when naloxone was injected ness and safety, although there is
livery. Whether sucrose reduces pain intravenously.73 In fact, the opposite a paucity of data relating to long-term
when given with concomitant opioid effect occurred; analgesic effects of outcomes. Johnston et al reported
analgesics is an important question naloxone were demonstrated. Such that preterm infants ,31 weeks’ ges-
analgesic effects of opioid antagonists tational age who received .10 doses
because the effectiveness of opioid
when given in low doses have been of sucrose per 24 hours in the first
analgesics alone in reducing pain in
reported previously.74 However, such week of life had poorer neurologic
sick infants during acute painful pro-
conflicting results emphasize uncer- outcomes compared with infants who
cedures is questionable.65–69 Sucrose
tainties as to the mechanism of su- received fewer sucrose doses.77 No
given with exogenous opioid analge-
crose analgesia, the opioid pathways differences in any safety outcomes af-
sics has only been evaluated in 2
responsible, as well as the differences ter consistent use of sucrose for pre-
studies.70,71 Harrison et al72 reported
between animal and human infant term infants over the first month of life
no statistically significant differences
were reported in another study.75
in behavioral responses during heel mechanisms precluding consistent ap-
These are the only studies that have
lance when infants were receiving plication of bench to bedside findings.
reported on longer-term outcomes in
opioid analgesics and sucrose com- Although there is a plethora of pub- infants after repeated sucrose use.
pared with receiving sucrose alone.70 lished studies evaluating sucrose
However the number of observations during single episodes of painful pro-
when infants were receiving opioid cedures,1,3 knowledge gaps concerning PRACTICE AND RESEARCH
analgesics (n = 79) may have been the effectiveness and safety of multiple IMPLICATIONS
underpowered to detect a difference. doses given during varying frequen- The complexities in interpreting such
Second, Marceau et al evaluated 24% cies over the course of an infant’s hos- a diverse body of evidence relating to
sucrose during heel lance in newborn pitalization remain. Prolonged use of the role of sucrose in inducing calm and
infants born to mothers on antenatal sucrose for periods of .1 weeks’ dura- reducing pain responses, the prevailing
methadone, compared with non- tion, during repeated painful events has deficiencies in understanding mecha-
methadone exposed infants.71 Eight of been reported in only 3 studies: 2 RCTs in nisms involved in sucrose analgesia,
the 26 methadone-exposed infants preterm infants75,76 and a longitudinal and the dearth of evidence relating to
were receiving morphine at the time cohort study of infants hospitalized extended and repeated use of sucrose
of study for management of opioid between 1 and 5 months, all of whom in preterm and sick infants have
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8 HARRISON et al
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Sucrose for Procedural Pain Management in Infants
Denise Harrison, Simon Beggs and Bonnie Stevens
Pediatrics originally published online October 8, 2012;
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011-3848
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