Impact of Music Therapy on Preoperative Anxiety and Degree of Cooperation With Anesthesia Induction in Children With Simple Congenital Heart Disease

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of music therapy (MT) on preoperative anxiety and degree of cooperation with anesthesia induction in children with simple congenital heart disease (CHD).

Design: A randomized controlled clinical study.

Methods: Ninety children were randomly assigned to the MT and control groups. The MT groups underwent a preoperative 30-minute session of MT, whereas the control group did not listen to any music and had the same amount of quiet time. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form (mYPAS-SF) was used to evaluate the patients' preoperative anxiety on entering the anesthesia waiting area (T1), 10 minutes after entering the waiting area (T2), and during the initiation of anesthesia induction (T3); the degree of cooperation with anesthesia induction was assessed using the Induction Compliance Checklist. The mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) at T1, T2, T3, and T4 (the time of successful anesthesia) were also recorded.

Findings: One child was excluded from the MT group, and one was excluded from the control group. No difference was found in the mYPAS-SF score, MAP, or HR between the two groups at T1. The mYPAS-SF scores of the MT group were significantly lower than those of the control group at T2 and T3. At T2, T3, and T4, the MAP and HR of the MT group were lower than those of the control group. A statistically significant difference was found in the Induction Compliance Checklist score between the two groups.

Conclusions: MT can reduce preoperative anxiety and improve the degree of cooperation with anesthesia induction.