Oral sucrose for pain management in infants: Myths and misconceptions

There is a large body of evidence demonstrating the analgesic efficacy of oral sucrose during minor painful procedures in young infants. Despite this evidence, sucrose is not utilized in many settings for management of acute procedural pain (Harrison, D., et al. 2006. Pain assessment and procedural pain management practices in neonatal units in Australia. J. Paediatr. Child Health 42(1–2), 6–9). Many factors may play a role in this poor uptake of research findings in the clinical setting. One of these factors may be what the author of this paper has termed, sucrose myths; i.e. myths concerning the use, safety and effectiveness of single and repeated doses of oral sucrose in premature and term newborn neonates, and infants ranging up to 18 months of age. This paper explores the foundation and evidence behind eight sucrose myths, providing the reader with current evidence with which to base practice upon, with the aim of improving pain management during painful procedures for both sick and healthy infants.