Prematurity alters skin conductance and behavioural scoring after acute stress in term‐equivalent age infants

Aim The primary objective was to assess the effect of prematurity at term‐equivalent age on skin conductance and behavioural responses to acute stress. The secondary objective was to explore the reliability of skin conductance in detecting neonatal discomfort in preterm and full‐term populations. Me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta Paediatrica 2019-09, Vol.108 (9), p.1609-1615
Main Authors: Maillard, Amelie, Garnier, Elodie, Saliba, Elie, Favrais, Geraldine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Behavior rating scales
Behavioural scale
Bone dysplasia
Conductance
Hip
Infants
Neonates
Newborn babies
Newborn infant
Pain
Panic attacks
Premature birth
Prematurity
Skin
Skin conductance
Stress
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Summary:Aim The primary objective was to assess the effect of prematurity at term‐equivalent age on skin conductance and behavioural responses to acute stress. The secondary objective was to explore the reliability of skin conductance in detecting neonatal discomfort in preterm and full‐term populations. Methods Very preterm infants at term‐equivalent age and healthy full‐term neonates, 34 infants in each group, underwent the hip dysplasia screening test. The acute pain in newborn infants (APN) scale was scored before and 15, 45 and 90 seconds after stimulus. Skin conductance was measured in the 30‐second time‐lap before and after stimulus. Results The APN score was lower in preterm infants after intervention (term: 5.4 ± 2.8 vs. preterm: 3.9 ± 2.2; p = 0.03). Peaks‐per‐second, a skin conductance parameter, exhibited lower basal values in preterm infants than in term infants, with similar rise induced by stressful challenge. Peaks‐per‐second values were correlated to the 15‐second APN score in both groups (term: r = 0.55, p 
ISSN:0803-5253
1651-2227
DOI:10.1111/apa.14777