Music lowers anxiety in ICU patients on ventilators

For some hospitalized intensive care patients on mechanical ventilators, listening to their favorite music lowers anxiety, U.S. researchers say. Lead author Linda Chlan, distinguished professor of symptom management research at Ohio State University's College of Nursing, and colleagues assessed patients' musical preferences and kept a continuous loop of music running on bedside CD players. When patients wished to listen to music, they were able to put on headphones that were equipped with a system that time- and date-stamped and recorded each use, Chlan said. Professional guidelines recommend pain, agitation and delirium be carefully managed in the ICU, with the goal of keeping mechanically ventilated patients comfortable and awake. However, the researchers acknowledged over-sedation is common in these patients, which can lead to both physiological problems linked to prolonged immobility and psychological issues. In a clinical trial, the option to listen to music lowered anxiety, on average, by 36.5 percent, and reduced the number of sedative doses by 38 percent and the intensity of sedation by 36 percent compared with ventilated ICU patients who did not receive the music intervention. The research was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.