All issues > Volume 38(10); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(10):1324-1328. Published online October 15, 1995.

Circumcision, Neonates, Pain sensation

In Rok IR Do¹, Jeong Ho JH Lee¹, Yong Sub YS Kim¹, Jong Dae JD Jo¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Maryknoll Hospital, Busan, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: Routine neonatal circumcision has widely performed without anesthesia under the assumption that the penis of neonates does not yet have functioning pain sensory nerve endings at this early stage of development, and has decreased the incidence of neonatal urinary tract infection. This study was performed to evaluate whether neonates recognize pain during opertion of circumcision without anesthasia.
Methods
: We evaluated the physiologic responses of 30 infants during operation of circumcision without anesthasia throught checking the crying time by sound recording & heart rate by pulse oxymetry.
Results
: 1) Mean gestational age at circumcision and mean birth weight were 39.8¡¾1.2 weeks and 3182.7¡¾274.8gm respectively. There was no specific findings at birth. 2) Mean crying time was 5.4¡¾0.5 minutes, and it was 74.5% of total operation time. Therfore that was a significant change. 3) Heart rates measured to estimate physiologic change were increased by 18.7¡¾5.2% of basal heart rte at stage 2 and by 32.0¡¾5.6% of basal heart rate at stage 3 respectively.
Conclusion
: We conclude that neonatal circumcision for prevention of many disease related to phimosis are useful but burdens neonates with a lot of pain and physiologic stress. Therefore we might consider the gestational age of neonates in case of circumcision without anesthesia and employing local anesthesia is needed for alleviate such pain or physiologic stress. And careful selection of neonates for circumcision should be considered.

Keywords :Circumcision, Neonates, Pain sensation