The effect of audio therapy to treat postoperative pain in children undergoing major surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the analgesic effect of music and audiobooks in children undergoing major surgical procedures when compared to a control (silence) group. Methods: The study was a prospective and randomized trial. Children undergoing major surgeries were randomized to one of the three groups: music, audiobook or control (silence). The primary outcome was the pain burden reduction by two treatments within 48 h postoperatively. Pain burden was measured using the area under the pain scale versus the 30 min interval for each treatment. Results: 60 patients were recruited and 56 completed the study. Pain burden was reduced in the music and audiobook groups compared to control, median (IQR) of −60 (−90 to 0), −45 (−90 to 0) and 0 (−30 to 90) (min × pain score), respectively, P = 0.04. A linear regression analysis demonstrated an independent group effect on pain reduction even after adjusting for the mean pain scores recorded at the beginning of the treatment, slope of regression line −56.8 ± 24 goodness of fit r2 = 0.25 and slope significantly different from 0 (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Audio therapy is an efficacious adjunct method to decrease post-surgical pain in children undergoing major surgeries. Audio therapy should be considered as an important strategy to minimize pain in children undergoing major surgery.