I'm glad someone brought this up again because I was too busy yesterday to
answer but I did do some googling about sucrose solution. Our hosp uses
'tootsweet' brand. I am not sure this is entirely on topic, but perhaps
staff are using the sucrose on nipple shields, on mother's nipples, etc. and
if they are using to hold off feedings at night, this is indeed bf related.
What I suggest is to look at the product info that comes with the sucrose
solution. When searching the web I did find some mention of risk of
hyperglycemia (under a hospital policy on it's use), and growth of bacteria
if the solution is used for a time (it is meant to be used very briefly
during a painful procedure). So leaving the container open and dipping a
pacifier in it, repeatedly, surely sounds like a setup for bacterial growth.

I would write an incident report or whatever the report is called that calls
attention to "out of the ordinary" happenings. And I would raise my concerns
with the unit manager. All this after I had done some more googling and read
the product insert.
More fuel for your argument: if the item is charted as a medication, are the
nurses indeed charting every use? Is the product a charged for item? If so,
can an audit reveal it was used and either not charged for, or used for an
inappropriate reason? Are the nurses using it and costing the unit money
because using it inappropriately? Do you need an order to give it, or is
there a policy that says to use for a painful procedure but a nurse cannot
extrapolate and use it for a fussy baby (p.s. that baby needs its mother -
duh).
Laurie Wheeler RN MN IBCLC
Mississippi USA

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