PEDIATRICS Vol. 74 No. 6 December 1984, pp. 1012-1015
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Pacifying Effects of Nonnutritive Sucking on Term and Preterm Neonates During Heelstick Procedures

Tiffany Field PhD1 and Edward Goldson MD1

1 From the Mailman Center for Child Development, University of Miami Medical School, Miami, and Children's Hospital, Denver

Behavioral state, heart rate, and respiration were monitored during heelstick procedures in samples of healthy, term neonates (N = 48) and preterm neonates treated in minimal care (N = 48) and intensive care (N = 48) nurseries. The treated infants who were given pacifiers spent significantly less time fussing and crying during and following the heelstick procedures. Physiologic arousal was monitored in both preterm groups but was attenuated only in the preterm infants who received pacifiers (minimal care group). As similar amounts of sucking were observed in both preterm groups, the inconsistency in treatment effects on behavioral and physiologic arousal was interpreted as a lack of cardiac-somatic coupling in the neonate in intensive care. Results suggest that nonnutritive sucking during heelstick procedures may attenuate behavioral distress in all neonates and physiologic arousal in neonates with less severe postnatal complications.

Key Words: nonnutritive sucking • neonates • heelstick procedures

Submitted on August 23, 1983
Accepted on March 1, 1984




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