The Effect of Music Combined With Preoperative Education on Perioperative Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Open Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to observe the effect of music combined with preoperative education on perioperative anxiety in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery.

Design

This was a randomized controlled study.

Methods

A group of 322 patients undergoing elective open cardiac surgery were randomly allocated to receive either music combined with preoperative education (the experimental group) or routine preoperative preparation (the control group). The primary endpoint was perioperative anxiety scores. The secondary outcome measures included length of stay in the intensive care unit, length of hospital stay, perioperative mean blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and quality of life score measured with the SF-36 subscale scores. This study collected data at the following 6 time points: T0 (preoperative baseline value), T1 (10 minutes after preoperative combined intervention), T2 (after patient extubation), T3 (10 minutes after intensive care unit intervention), T4 (the first day after patient admission), and T5 (1 month after patient discharge).

Findings

The experimental group reported significantly lower anxiety scores than the control group at both T1 and T4 time points. The experimental group had a significantly shorter length of stay in the intensive care unit and length of hospital stay than the control group. Heart rate, mean blood pressure, and respiratory rate were significantly lower in the experimental group at T1, T3, and T4 time points. The mean blood pressure and heart rate were significantly lower in the experimental group at the T2 time point. The SF-36 subscale scores were significantly higher in the experimental group at the T5 time point.

Conclusions

The combination of music and preoperative education provides effective antianxiety and accelerates recovery in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery.