Abstract
Purpose :
Surgery is known to cause anxiety that can induce physiological alterations affecting the healing and recovery for many patients. Music has been shown to reduce anxiety, to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and to improve satisfaction in patients undergoing cataract surgery. The aim of this pilot study is to determine the effect of music in the operating room for awake patients undergoing ophthalmic plastic surgery procedures.
Methods :
Patients undergoing various ophthalmic plastic surgery procedures with monitored anesthesia were prospectively randomized to hear either patient-selected music or no music. Exclusion criteria included hearing impairment, hearing aids, or a history of ear surgery. Music was played using a portable speaker system in the operating room, and the patients did not wear headphones. Anxiety and pain were measured using visual analog scale and Self-Evaluation State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIT) forms, which were completed before and after surgery. Pain and vital signs before and after surgery were assessed.
Results :
30 patients underwent ectropion repair, entropion repair, blepharoplasty, ptosis repair, and temporal artery biopsy. The mean age was 65 (range 46-93). 70% (21) were female and 30% (9) were male. 17 patients listened to music while 13 patients did not. Mean arterial pressure decreased post-operatively by 3.64% in the music group but elevated by 7.07% in the control group (p=0.023). Pulse rate did not change post operatively within each group, or between groups (p=0.24). Respiratory rate decreased in both groups, including significantly in the non-music group (p=0.017). There was no significant difference between the two groups. Anxiety score improved from 3.19/10 pre-operatively to 2.08/10 post-operatively in the music group while in the control group, the anxiety score improved from 4.08/10 to 3.67/10, respectively (p=0.56). Post-operative pain rating was 3.12/10 in the music group and 4.25/10 in the control group (p=0.33).
Conclusions :
This pilot study shows that music can have a positive effect on mean arterial pressure, which may indicate improved anxiolytic effects. Music is a simple and sensible intervention that can be used as an alternative or complementary method of reducing discomfort for patients undergoing ophthalmic plastic surgery procedures. On-going data collection can better elucidate the other effects of this intervention.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.