Diminishing pain during venipunctures in children

Venipunctures and heel lancing are common procedures in Paediatric Care and may be a source of pain, discomfort, and distress for children, parents and health professionals. Preliminary studies suggest that pain experienced by infants in the neonate period may have long-lasting effects on future infant behaviour. To control the pain associated with minor procedures as venipuncture and heel lancing there are some treatments. Topical anesthetics can be placed proactively to control the pain associated with venipuncture. Recent studies have suggested methods by which neonatal distress during painful procedures can be minimized. Sucrose has been found to decrease the response to noxious stimuli such as heel sticks and injections in neonates. Although children don?t get many painful procedures in Primary Care, health care providers should identify patients at risk of increased pain and its side-effects. In particular children with a history of vasovagal reaction to needles and those who require repeated venipunctures and who had painful procedures before.