Listening to music during surgery can speed up your recovery
What's the story
A recent study from Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi has found that listening to music during surgery can help patients recover faster. The research, published in the journal Music and Medicine, provides strong evidence that music played during general anesthesia can significantly lower drug requirements and improve recovery time. The study focused on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), a procedure that usually lasts under an hour and requires a quick recovery.
Insights
How anesthesia is applied during surgery
The study's lead investigator, Dr. Tanvi Goel, a former senior resident at Maulana Azad, explained that modern anesthesia involves a combination of five or six drugs to keep patients asleep and pain-free during surgery. In laparoscopic gallbladder removal procedures, anesthesiologists often add regional "blocks" or injections that numb abdominal wall nerves. Despite these precautions, the body still reacts to surgery with increased heart rate and blood pressure, responses that can be managed with careful drug administration and music therapy.
Research results
Study design and findings
The researchers conducted an 11-month trial with 56 adults aged between 20 and 45. They were randomly assigned to two groups, both receiving the same five-drug regimen: a drug to prevent nausea and vomiting, a sedative, fentanyl (an opioid painkiller), propofol (a hypnotic) and a muscle relaxant. Both groups wore noise-canceling headphones but only one group listened to music from two calming instrumental pieces - soft flute or piano.
Recovery benefits
Music's impact on drug dosage and recovery
The results of the study showed that patients who listened to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl. They also had smoother recoveries with lower stress hormone levels and better-controlled blood pressure during surgery. "Since the ability to hear remains intact under anesthesia," the researchers wrote, "music can still shape the brain's internal state." This suggests that even when a patient is unconscious, their brain can respond positively to comforting experiences like music.
Future implications
Music therapy's potential in surgical settings
The study highlights the potential of music therapy in surgical settings, a field that has mostly been dominated by technical and machine-driven approaches. "We're only beginning to explore how the unconscious mind responds to non-pharmacological interventions like music," Dr. Farah Husain said, adding that this could be a way of humanizing the operating room. The research team is now planning its next study on music-aided sedation, building on these findings.