Postoperative Pain in Infants

This observational study aims to evaluate skin conductance monitoring as a continuous method for pain assessment in postoperative neonates. Pain assessment in newborns is challenging due to their inability to communicate, and current methods rely on intermittent observational scales such as the Neonatal Pain, Agitation and Sedation Scale (N-PASS) in combination with physiological parameters.

Skin conductance reflects sympathetic nervous system activity and provides a continuous, objective measure of stress and pain. This study will investigate the correlation between skin conductance measurements and standard clinical pain assessment tools (N-PASS and vital parameters), as well as explore the potential analgesic effect of skin-to-skin care.

The study is conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting where all monitoring and treatments are part of routine clinical care.