From a study by Thamine P Hatem, Pedro I Lira, and Sandra S Mattos:
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate, both objectively and subjectively, the effect of music on children in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit following heart surgery, in conjunction with standard care.
METHODS:
Randomized clinical trial with placebo, assessing 84 children, aged 1 day to 16 years, during the first 24 hours of the postoperative period, given a 30 minute music therapy session with classical music and observed at the start and end of the session, recording heart rate, blood pressure, mean blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature and oxygen saturation, plus a facial pain score. Statistical significance was set at 5%.
RESULTS:
Five of the initial 84 patients (5.9%) refused to participate. The most common type of heart disease was acyanotic congenital with left-right shunt (41% of cases: 44.4% of controls). Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups after the intervention in the subjective facial pain scale and the objective parameters heart rate and respiratory rate (p < 0.001, p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS:
A beneficial effect from music was observed with children during the postoperative period of heart surgery, by means of certain vital signs (heart rate and respiratory rate) and in reduced pain (facial pain scale). Nevertheless, there are gaps to be filled in this area, and studies in greater depth are needed.
If you’re undergoing surgery, I urge you to show this (and the other studies I post) to your doctor. Anything that can be done to reduce the stress of surgery and the need for pain relievers will speed healing.
This study shows significant benefits from listening to classical music, and it’s noninvasive and inexpensive to try. They’re right in that more work needs to be done, but a statistically significant benefit after only thirty minutes of listening to classical music is nothing to sneeze at!