Music in mechanically ventilated stroke patients

Abstract

Background: Music as a therapeutic intervention for critically ill stroke patients has not been adequately researched. This may be related to a limited number of tools being available to measure the hypnotic response when patients cannot respond verbally. This pilot study examines the feasibility of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring to study music as a stress-reduction intervention in the neurocritical care setting. Methods: This prospective, randomised, crossover, pilot study enrolled 30 patients. On each of two consecutive days, patients were randomised to either 1 hour of silence followed by a crossover to 1 hour of music, or the reverse (music then silence). BIS values were recorded to evaluate stress and agitation before, during and after the 2-hour study period. Results: There were no reported adverse events, supporting feasibility of this pilot intervention. BIS values were sampled once every 6 seconds during the 2-hour study period. There was a statistically significant difference in BIS scores between the music and no music group (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The use of neurofunction monitors to assess response to music is feasible during the critical care phase for patients with stroke. Additional studies should focus on genre, timing and route of delivery for music as an intervention.