Table 1.
Patients' background characteristics and main study parameters (N=149)
| Variables | Part A (N=100) | Part B (N=49) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boy/girl; N (%) | 61 (61)/39 (39) | 24 (49)/25 (51) | 0.16 |
| Gestational age in weeks+days | 30+6 (28+5–33+2) | 30+6 (26+6–33+2) | 0.26 |
| Birth weight in grams | 1483 (1158–2015) | 1280 (888–1950) | 0.18 |
| Postnatal age in days | 4 (2–8) | 5 (2–10) | 0.11 |
| Time interval in seconds | 48 (31–79) | 127 (107–153) | <0.001 |
| Non-nutritive sucking; N (%) | 48 (48) | 23 (47) | 0.90 |
| Patients with one dose; N (%)* | 98 (98%) | 44 (90%) | 0.27 |
| Total volume of sucrose in mL | 0.5 (0.5–0.75) | 0.5 (0.5–0.75) | 0.78 |
| Size of the lance: preemie; N (%)/infant; N (%) | 12 (12)/88 (88) | 7 (14)/42 (86) | 0.69 |
| Unable to score nasolabial furrow; N (%) | 44 (44) | 30 (61) | 0.05 |
| Duration of procedure in seconds | 112 (59–191) | 154 (97–257) | 0.014 |
| Number of squeezes | 17 (8–28) | 22 (13–36) | 0.04 |
| Analgesics/sedatives; N (%)† | 5 (5) | 5 (10) | 0.23 |
| PIPP-R | 6 (0–9) | 7 (2–9) | 0.22 |
Data are presented as median (IQR) for all continuous variables. Part A and part B data were compared using the χ2 test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables.
*Patients who received one dose during the total procedure (from sucrose administration until the end of the blood collection).
†Patients who received continuous or intermittent morphine/fentanyl and/or midazolam during or <3 hours before the heelstick procedure.
PIPP-R, Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revised.