Nigerian Medical Journal

REVIEW ARTICLE
Year
: 2014  |  Volume : 55  |  Issue : 3  |  Page : 183--187

Neonatal analgesia: A neglected issue in the tropics


Herbert A Obu, Josephat M Chinawa 
 Chinawa, Nigeria

Correspondence Address:
Josephat M Chinawa
Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu 01129
Nigeria

Pain control in newborns is poorly understood and often neglected in neonatal practice in many settings in our environment. Managing pain among newborns can be quite challenging and the effectiveness of various interventions used to ameliorate pain in this category of patients are either unknown or poorly understood by many a people engaged in the care of newborns in one way or the other. A search for published works on neonatal analgesia was performed using Google and PubMed. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was also searched. The areas of focus were definition, pathophysiology and management of pain in neonates. Relevant information was extracted and processed. Contrary to what is widely believed in many quarters, howbeit erroneously, there is compelling evidence that newborns do indeed feel pain. Supportive care, comprising of use of sucrose, glucose, breastfeeding, kangaroo mother care are worthwhile measures in ameliorating pain in the newborn. Novel therapies (such as sensorial saturation and swaddling) have been evaluated and proven useful. The use of sedation did not show any beneficial results.


How to cite this article:
Obu HA, Chinawa JM. Neonatal analgesia: A neglected issue in the tropics .Niger Med J 2014;55:183-187


How to cite this URL:
Obu HA, Chinawa JM. Neonatal analgesia: A neglected issue in the tropics . Niger Med J [serial online] 2014 [cited 2024 Mar 29 ];55:183-187
Available from: https://www.nigeriamedj.com/article.asp?issn=0300-1652;year=2014;volume=55;issue=3;spage=183;epage=187;aulast=Obu;type=0