The Effect of Music Therapy on Postoperative Pain and Agitation During Septorhinoplasty: A Blinded Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background and Aims

It has been shown that patients who need surgery, such as septorhinoplasty candidates, suffer from unbearable pain during and after surgery. One of the main considerations of the surgeons for these patients is making them experience a pleasant, comfortable, and painless intervention during septorhinoplasty utilizing nonpharmacological or pharmacological approaches. This study aimed to investigate the antianxiety and analgesic effects of listening to music as a nonpharmacological method in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty with general anesthesia.

Methods

In this randomized controlled clinical trial study, 80 patients who were candidates for septorhinoplasty were randomly categorized into the case (with music) and control groups (without music) from May to September 2022. STATA Version 14.0 (StataCorp) was used for the statistical analysis of the acquired data. Pain perception and agitation were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS), respectively, and compared between the two groups during the early postoperative period.

Results

Although the baseline SAS score in the two groups was similar, findings showed a significantly lower score in the intervention group in recovery units (t-test 4.30, p < 0.001). The mean VAS was 0.8 ± 1.18 and 1.87 ± 1.13 in the intervention and control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The satisfaction level of those patients in the intervention group was demonstrated during the procedure of the intervention. However, there was no significant difference between the control and intervention groups for hemodynamic parameters.

Conclusion

Music therapy during surgical procedures can postoperatively simplify the optimized postsurgical outcomes for patients undergoing septorhinoplasty.

Trial Registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20210307050609N2)