What is the expected reaction of infants to pain during medical procedures?

• A. Infants perceive and react to pain similarly to older children and adults.
• B. Infants do not react to pain.
• C. Infants require sedation to tolerate pain.
• D. Infants feel pain less than toddlers.

Answer: (A)

Pain is real from the earliest days of life, and infants have functioning pathways to feel it and respond to it during procedures. They may exhibit distress through crying, facial grimacing, body withdrawal, and changes in vital signs such as increased heart rate and faster breathing. Because they cannot tell us verbally how they feel, their reactions are vital clues to their pain experience, and these responses indicate that their pain is meaningful and should be managed.

Saying that infants perceive and react to pain similarly to older children and adults captures the important idea that their pain is real and their distress is legitimate, even though the way they express it differs from verbal older patients. The idea that infants do not react, or that they inherently require sedation for tolerance, or that they feel less pain than toddlers, does not fit clinical understanding. Proper care involves addressing pain in infants with appropriate analgesia and comforting measures during procedures.