Pain Index

The Pain-Nociceptive Sensor index mirrors how often the skin sympathetic nerves are firing to tailor the need of analgesia / anti-nociceptive drugs during pain and nociceptive stimuli:

• The index reacts within 1-2 seconds.
• The index has low variation between and within individuals when they are asleep or uncounsious without stimuli.
• The index is not influenced from changes in blood circulation or medications acting on the blood circulation (epinephrines, beta-blockers, the hypotensive effect of alfa2-agonists) due to the nerve transmittors involved (acetylcholine acts on muscarinic receptors). The device can e.g be used during ECMO-treatment.
• The index is not influenced by environmental temperature. The device works during hypotermia.
• The index is not influenced by neurmuscular blockers which act on nicotinic receptors.
• The index works for all age groups from 23 weeks of gestational age.

Reference: Storm H. Changes in Skin Conductance as a tool to monitor nociceptive stimulation and pain. Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology 2008, 21:796–804