Oral sucrose is a mild analgesic which is safe and effective in decreasing short-term pain and distress during minor procedures.1 Small amounts of sweet solutions (oral sucrose) are placed on the infant's tongue to reduce procedural pain. The sweetness of breast milk has proven to be as effective as a pain-relieving strategy. Breast milk and breastfeeding (providing comfort, diversion, and maternal contact) should be used where available to relieve procedural pain.
The application of supportive measures such as kangaroo care, facilitated tucking, swaddling, warmth, non-nutritional sucking and distraction (in older infants), should occur before oral sucrose administration.1
Starship dosing: Neonates > 31 weeks post-conception to 1 month old; dose 0.2 to 0.5 ml. Infants 1-18 months; dose 0.5 to 1 ml (max 4 doses/24 hrs for both age bands).2 The Starship concentration is 66.7% sucrose solution (Syrup BP, 0.667g/L).
