Music in the cath lab: who should select it?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychology
• Medical Music Therapy

Background:

• Previous studies indicate music has anxiolytic and analgesic properties.
• Research suggests patient-selected music may enhance anxiety reduction compared to physician-chosen music.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the anxiolytic effects of different music styles versus no music in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.
• To compare the impact of patient-selected music versus randomized music assignment on anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• 200 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization were divided into two groups: Group A (patient-selected music/no music) and Group B (randomized to music/no music).
• Anxiety levels were measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) pre- and post-intervention.
• Data from 197 patients were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Patients in Group B (randomized assignment) showed a significantly greater decrease in anxiety (STAI-State difference: 16.8 ± 10.2) compared to Group A (13.3 ± 11.1; p = 0.0176).
• Patients listening to music experienced a significantly greater reduction in anxiety (14.9 ± 10.7) than those without music (6.2 ± 6.7; p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Music effectively reduces anxiety in the cardiac catheterization lab, supporting prior research.
• The hypothesis that patient-preferred music offers greater anxiety reduction than randomized assignment was not supported by the findings.