Neonatal Pain - Suffering, Pain, and Risk of Brain Damage in the Fetus and Newborn

This completely revised and updated edition offers a comprehensive overview of neonatal pain assessment and treatment. It includes the field of fetal surgery, and many other topics have been updated or added, such as circumcision analgesia, new drugs, new insights into neurophysiologic pathways of neonatal pain and new drawbacks of analgesic drugs. While in the early years of the 21st century pain treatment in neonates was still optional, it is now a tenet, and more and more institutions are looking for inspiration and good references to create their own guidelines. Written by leading researchers in the field, this book provides that inspiration and offers a valuable tool for neonatologists, anesthetists, nurses and physiotherapists. Since it also deals with prenatal and postnatal surgery, it also appeals to surgeons.



Giuseppe Buonocore is full professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Unit of Neonatology of the University Hospital of Siena. He is involved in the coordination of numerous pan-European clinical trials, as for example of the European scientific network EURAIBI (acronym for EURope Against Infant Brain Injury). His research interests are in the mechanisms of cell damage in the neonatal brain, with special reference to hypoxia, the role of oxidant radicals in neonatal diseases and in babies with birth asphyxia. Additional research interest fields are ethics in perinatology and fetal and neonatal pain prevention. His research team is funded by several agencies including the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research -cofinance scheme for research projects of high national interest as well as European Community : NEOBRAIN project. Author of more than 100 scientific publications in international journals with IF ('Pediatric Research', 'Biology of Neonate', 'Free Radical Biology and Medicine','Acta Paediatrica', 'Archives Diseases in Children', ' Journal of Pediatrics' and others). He is Past-President of the European Society for Pediatric Research, and currently a member of the Editorial Board of 'Biology of Neonate'.


Dr. Bellieni, author of two chapters in the Encyclopedia of Pain, works at the University Hospital of Siena and is a member of several national and international societies, such as the European Society of Pediatric Research, the Italian Society of Pediatrics and the Italian Society of Neonatology. He is a member of the directive board of the Italian Society of Neonatology's study group on pain and analgesia. He owns some patents for medical instruments used in neonatal care and pain assessment. He has more than 300 publications, mainly in the field of fetal and neonatal pain assessment and therapy.  He has been appointed as an expert on animal fetal pain assessment by the European Community Authority for Food safety (EFSA).