Pain response, neonates, and venipuncture

For years together, it was considered that neonates do not feel pain until the researchers proved recently that there are certain physiological and behavioral changes that are noticeable when infants and neonates are subjected to painful stimuli. The incapability of neonates and infants to verbally express their pain leads to inadequate assessment and inadequate treatment of pain. Chronic pain may have devastating long-term changes in their neurobehavior. Neonatal ICU (NICU) graduates may be subjected to plenty of painful stimuli during their stay in NICU, which includes frequent blood sampling, venipuncture, and pain during intubation and ventilation. Pain relief is usually provided to neonates for major surgeries/procedures, but minor procedures including sampling and venipuncture are usually done without any effective pain relief in most part of the world. We need to develop more humane approach to provide effective pain relief to neonates.