Am Fam Physician. 2025;112(6):677-678
Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.
DETAILS FOR THIS REVIEW
Study Population: Eleven randomized controlled trials from six countries, including 852 newborns (preterm and term) undergoing painful procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
Efficacy End Points: Primary outcome: pain intensity assessed with validated scales (Premature Infant Pain Profile [PIPP]; Neonatal Infant Pain Scale [NIPS]; Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale [N-PASS]) during the procedure; secondary outcomes: pain up to 10 minutes after procedure, pain at 1 to 2 hours after procedure
Harm End Points: Any adverse effects, including infection, bleeding, bruising, needle-related tissue damage, stuck needle, or needle-related pain
| Benefits of acupuncture for procedural pain in newborns |
| Compared with no treatment or sham procedures |
| SMD = −0.56 (95% CI, −0.75 to −0.37; low-certainty evidence), representing a medium effect size* for pain reduction |
| Compared with oral sucrose or glucose |
| SMD = 0.29 (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.54; very low-certainty evidence), representing a small effect size* favoring sucrose or glucose |
Harms of acupuncture for procedural pain in newborns |
| No significant harms detected, with only one adverse event reported in 138 participants across two studies |
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