Abstract

Procedural pain and stress in premature neonates is currently assessed utilizing tools that lack objectivity and accuracy. This results in untreated or mismanaged pain. My dissertation utilized physiological methods and biochemical markers that identified pain in premature neonates and its effect on energy metabolism. The painful procedure that I examined is the retinopathy of premature (ROP) examination, a necessary and routine eye examination in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that detects and identifies infants at risk for blindness due to retinal detachment. The effects of the ROP exam on peripheral and deep tissue oxyhemoglobin saturation and urinary purine degradation markers were examined. I conclude that these noninvasive metrics can be used to inform clinical decisions regarding the pain and stress status of the premature infant.

LLU Discipline

Biochemistry

Department

Biochemistry

School

School of Medicine

First Advisor

Danilyn Angeles

Second Advisor

Danilo Boskovic

Third Advisor

Jennifer Dunbar

Fourth Advisor

Andrew Hopper

Fifth Advisor

Daniel Rogstad

Sixth Advisor

Christopher Wilson

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2018

Date (Title Page)

6-2018

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Pain, Procedural; Biomarkers; Oxyhemoglobins; Purines

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

xiii, 111 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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