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Venipuncture was less painful and more efficient than heel lance for blood testing in newborns

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.2.1.10

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    Larsson BA, Tannfeldt G, Lagercrantz H, et al.Venipuncture is more effective and less painful than heel lancing for blood tests in neonates.Pediatrics1998 May;101:;882–6OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text

    Question Is venipuncture of the dorsal side of the hand less painful and more efficient than heel lancing for blood testing in newborns?

    Design

    Randomised controlled trial.

    Setting

    The maternity ward at a hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Patients

    120 consecutive healthy full term infants who required testing for phenylketonuria (PKU). Infants with any illness or abnormality were excluded. Follow up was 97.5% (51.5% girls).

    Intervention

    Infants were allocated to venipuncture (VP) with a 0.9 × 40 mm microlance needle (n=50), heel lance with a small lancet (SL) (n=50), or heel lance with a large lancet (LL) (n=20). Before the VP, the dorsum of the hand was gently squeezed to visualise the vein. The SL was placed on the skin, and when pressure was applied to the end of the device a 2 mm lancet penetrated the skin. The LL required hand power to penetrate the skin with a sharp …

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    Footnotes

    • Source of funding: no external funding.

    • For correspondence: Dr B A Larsson, Department of Paediatric Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Pain Treatment Service, KS/St Göran's Children's Hospital, S 112 81 Stockholm, Sweden. Fax +46 8 5177 7265.

    • A modified version of this abstract appears in Evidence-Based Medicine.