Assessment of pain in newborns during the application of the expiratory flow increase technique

Abstract

Introduction: The inability of the newborn to report verbally the pain and consequences caused by repeated exposure to a painful condition highlights the need for the professionals take heed to the importance of its assessment. Objective: To assess the presence or absence of pain when performed maneuvers to increase expiratory flow in newborn infants. Methods: We evaluated 70 infants, with the application of NIPS, which uses physiological and behavioral parameters in three separate stages – before, during and after five minutes maneuver EFI. The value considered pain score obtained above three points. Results: A statistically significant difference in pain score, when comparing the pre-intervention and during intervention with the operation of EFI (p 0.005). There was no statistical significance, comparing the pre-and post-intervention (p =0.11). Conclusion: In newborns of this study the technique of NIPS did not cause pain, suggesting the need for interventions for pain relief in this population.