Music Use for Sedation in Critically ill Children (MUSiCC trial): a pilot randomized controlled trial

Objective To demonstrate feasibility of a music medicine intervention trial in pediatric intensive care and to obtain information on sedation and analgesia dose variation to plan a larger trial. Material and methods Pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted at the Stollery Children’s Hospital general and cardiac intensive care units (PICU/PCICU). The study included children 1 month to 16 years of age on mechanical ventilation and receiving sedation drugs. Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to music, noise cancellation or control. The music group received classical music for 30 min three times/day using headphones. The noise cancellation group received the same intervention but with no music. The control group received usual care. Results A total of 60 patients were included. Average enrollment rate was 4.8 patients/month, with a consent rate of 69%. Protocol adherence was achieved with patients receiving > 80% of the interventions. Overall mean (SD) daily Sedation Intensity Score was 52.4 (30.3) with a mean (SD) sedation frequency of 9.75 (7.21) PRN doses per day. There was a small but statistically significant decrease in heart rate at the beginning of the music intervention. There were no study related adverse events. Eighty-eight percent of the parents thought the headphones were comfortable; 73% described their child more settled during the intervention. Conclusions This pilot RCT has demonstrated the feasibility of a music medicine intervention in critically ill children. The study has also provided the necessary information to plan a larger trial.

Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background We aimed to determine and compare the effects of music therapy and music medicine on depression, and explore the potential factors associated with the effect. Methods PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid-Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Clinical Evidence were searched to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of music-based intervention on depression from inception to May 2020. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were estimated with random-effect model and fixed-effect model. Results A total of 55 RCTs were included in our meta-analysis. Music therapy exhibited a significant reduction in depressive symptom (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = -0.86 to -0.46; P<0.001) compared with the control group; while, music medicine exhibited a stronger effect in reducing depressive symptom (SMD = −1.33; 95% CI = -1.96 to -0.70; P<0.001). Among the specific music therapy methods, recreative music therapy (SMD = -1.41; 95% CI = -2.63 to -0.20; P<0.001), guided imagery and music (SMD = -1.08; 95% CI = -1.72 to -0.43; P<0.001), music-assisted relaxation (SMD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.24 to -0.38; P<0.001), music and imagery (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.06; P = 0.312), improvisational music therapy (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.05; P = 0.001), music and discuss (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.60; P = 0.225) exhibited a different effect respectively. Music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short and medium length compared with long intervention periods. Conclusions A different effect of music therapy and music medicine on depression was observed in our present meta-analysis, and the effect might be affected by the therapy process.

Music Medicine as a Component of Acute Migraine Attack Management in The Emergency Room: A Randomized Controlled Open-Label Trial

Background: Acute severe migraine requiring Emergency Room (ER) visit is managed by giving analgesics for pain relief. Since music medicine has been beneficial in other pain syndromes, the study of its effect as a noninvasive add-on to current management is worth pursuing. Objective: To identify if music medicine in addition to medical therapy will reduce the severity and duration of an acute attack of moderate to severe migraine compared to medical management alone. Methods: An open label randomized controlled trial was conducted at the ER of a tertiary hospital in the Philippines from July 2017 to June 2018. Patients who presented at the ER with acute moderate to severe headache fulfilling the ICH-3 criteria for migraine were included. They were randomized to medical therapy or to medical therapy with music medicine. A decrease in the severity of the headache after one hour of medical treatment was the primary outcome. Results: One hundred eighty-three adult migraneurs were included without difference between group in age, gender, and occupation. There was a statistically significant reduction (p=0.037) in pain severity after one hour in 82 of 87 patients given medical treatment with music medicine (94%) compared to 73 of 86 in the medical therapy alone (85%). There were more headache-free patients at one hour in the music group (55% versus 42%, p=0.05). Conclusion: There is decreased duration and severity of pain when music medicine is added to conventional medical therapy in treating patients with an acute migraine. This is the first randomized trial done in the acute ER setting.

A prospective randomised study on efficacy of music for decreasing preoperative anxiety in children

Background The operating room can be a frightening environment for paediatric patients. This study investigated whether music medicine can mitigate preoperative anxiety in children. Materials and methods One hundred and fifty children undergoing general anaesthesia were randomised to listen to music of the child’s choice, lullaby music or no music before induction. Heart rates were measured in the waiting room, upon first entry into the operating room and just prior to induction. Results There was no significant difference in average heart rate change from the waiting room to induction in the patient choice, lullaby and control groups. Older age was associated with higher heart rate changes between baseline and entering the operating room. Pharmacologic sedation showed a significant beneficial effect on heart rate change at induction. Conclusion Use of music medicine in the operating room does not show efficacy to reduce anxiety in children based on heart rate changes.