The parents of a preterm infant in a neonatal intensive care unit are concerned about their infant experiencing pain from so many procedures. The nurse's response should be based on which characteristic about preterm infants' pain?
a. They may react to painful stimuli but are unable to remember the pain experience.
b. They perceive and react to pain in much the same manner as children and adults.
c. They do not have the cortical and subcortical centers that are needed for pain perception.
d. They lack neurochemical systems associated with pain transmission and modulation.
ANS: B
Numerous research studies have indicated that preterm and newborn infants perceive and react to pain in the same manner as children and adults. Preterm infants can have significant reactions to painful stimuli. Pain can cause oxygen desaturation and global stress response. These physiologic effects must be avoided by use of appropriate analgesia. Painful stimuli cause a global stress response, including cardiorespiratory changes, palmar sweating, increased intracranial pressure, and hormonal and metabolic changes. Adequate analgesia and anesthesia are necessary to decrease the stress response.
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