{"id":239743,"date":"2021-02-10T07:22:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T13:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=239743"},"modified":"2021-02-10T01:35:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T07:35:32","slug":"study-preborn-third-trimester-react-painful-stimuli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/study-preborn-third-trimester-react-painful-stimuli\/","title":{"rendered":"New study concludes preborn children in third trimester react to painful stimuli"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A new study<\/a> has confirmed that preborn children in the third trimester are capable of reacting to a painful stimulus. The babies, ages 28 to 34 weeks in gestation, took part in the study, which used an injection of anesthesia along with 4-D ultrasound imaging to evaluate the babies’ responses to that injection.<\/p>\n

Measuring levels of pain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thirteen mothers took part in the study. Five of the babies each had a diaphragmatic hernia and the remaining eight were labeled as healthy. The babies were split into three groups. The first was called the “acute pain group” and included the five babies who would be receiving an anesthetic injection prior to undergoing intrauterine surgery for their diaphragmatic hernias. Their facial expressions were recorded for 45 seconds before the injection and 45 seconds after the injection. The second group was the “control group at rest,” which were babies who were recorded during a routine ultrasound “after a 5-minute period of rest for the mother, in a quiet and dark room for 45 seconds.” The third group was the “control group acoustic startle” and included babies who were recorded by ultrasound while being stimulated with acoustics. Their facial expressions were recorded 45 seconds prior to the stimulus and 45 seconds after.<\/p>\n

The recordings were then evaluated by two researchers who were unaware of which baby was which. They scored the images of each baby using the Neonatal Facial Coding Systems, which monitors facial expressions in preborn children to evaluate the degree of pain they experience. The researchers watched for brow lowering, eyes squeezing shut, deepening of the furrow of nose and lip, open lips, horizontal mouth stretch, vertical mouth stretch, and neck deflection. Each baby received one point for each action that was present.<\/p>\n