Objective: To evaluate 2 heel lancet devices in terms of pain response and success of the procedure in neonates undergoing the newborn screening test.
Design: Randomized trial.
Setting: Tenth level, mother-and-baby unit of a university-affiliated hospital. Patients Eighty term neonates.
Interventions: Heel lance using either the BD Safety-Flow lancet (SF) or the BD QuikHeel lancet (QH).
Main outcome measures: Facial grimacing score (brow bulge, eye squeezed shut, and nasolabial furrow [range, 0%-100%]), cry duration, duration of the procedure, and number of punctures required to collect the blood.
Results: Forty neonates were enrolled in each group. There were no differences in the demographic characteristics between groups. During the first skin puncture, the median score (25th-75th percentile) for facial grimacing was 100% (76%-100%) for the SF compared with 73% (42%-100%) for the QH (P =.02). For cry duration, it was 6 seconds (0-9 seconds) vs 0 seconds (0-6 seconds), respectively (P =.01). Pain scores during blood collection (ie, squeezing) did not differ between groups (P =.09). The procedure took less time to perform in the QH group (140 seconds [90-236 seconds]) than in the SF group (215 seconds [137-314 seconds]) (P =.02). The total crying time was shorter in the QH group (90 seconds [66-196 seconds] vs 148 seconds [92-267 seconds]; P =.03). Thirty-six (90%) of the neonates in the QH group received 1 puncture for blood collection compared with 21 (53%) in the SF group (P<.001).
Conclusion: The BD QuikHeel lancet is superior to the BD Safety-Flow lancet for blood collection in term neonates undergoing the newborn screening test.