Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2014, 158(4):591-595 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2013.066

Skin conductance as a marker of pain in infants of different gestational age

Jozef Mackoa, Dagmar Moravcikovab, Lumir Kantorc, Martina Kotikovaa, Petr Humpolicekd,e
a Department of Neonatology, Tomas Bata Regional Hospital in Zlin, Zlin, Czech Republic
b Department of Health Care Sciences, Degree Programme Midwifery, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin
c Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc
d Centre of Polymer Systems, Polymer Centre, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin
e Polymer Center, Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin Coresponding author: Jozef Macko, e-mail: macko@bnzlin.cz

Aims: To assess the use of skin conductance as an objective measure of pain in infants of different gestational age. A second aim was to investigate the relationship between skin conductivity and selected physiological and behavioural variables (oxygen saturation, heart rate and behavioural state).

Methods: Infants were divided according to gestational age into the following 3 groups; group A: 25+0 - 31+6 weeks (13 infants), group B: 32+0 - 35+6 weeks (25 infants), group C: 36+0 - 41+6 weeks (19 infants). The pain stimulus was blood sampling.

Results: The most sensitive parameter for describing changes in skin conductance related to pain was peak per second. No other parameter correlated with the physiological variables chosen. The results showed that the inability to determine basal skin conductance is a crucial disadvantage to practical application. The lack of correlation between conductance parameters and gestational age is surprising.

Conclusion: We conclude that the Peak per Second is the best parameter for evaluating skin conductance in infants and it is not influenced by gestational age. Peaks per Second correlate only with Prechtl's Scale of behavioural state and not with the physiological parameters chosen.

Keywords: electrical skin conductivity, gestational age, infants, pain, behavioural state

Received: April 23, 2013; Accepted: September 10, 2013; Prepublished online: October 2, 2013; Published: December 9, 2014  Show citation

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Macko, J., Moravcikova, D., Kantor, L., Kotikova, M., & Humpolicek, P. (2014). Skin conductance as a marker of pain in infants of different gestational age. Biomedical papers, 158(4), 591-595. doi: 10.5507/bp.2013.066
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