Hospitalized COVID-19 patients are vulnerable to different degrees of stress disorders as well as depression, anxiety and fear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing Music therapy on site with Covid-19 patients and investigating the immediate effects a single session has on anxiety, heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (O2Sat) and satisfaction compared to standard care. A randomized controlled trial of 40 patients was conducted. Participants were assigned to control group (CG) or the treatment group (MG). MG received an individual single session of music therapy in presence. CG received standard care. MG and CG were subjected to identical measurements (pre-during-post) of the parameters STAI-Y, HR and O2Sat. Participants in MG were asked to fill in an optional open-ended question concerning their experience with music therapy. Significant difference in anxiety levels between scores in MG and CG (34.50 (23.25–40.00) vs 45.00(38, 25–54.00); p = 0.000) was observed. MG compared to CG had statistically significantly higher values of O2Sat (97.50 (96.25–99.00) versus 96.00 (96.00–98.00); p = 0.026). Results show the feasibility of introducing music therapy as a supporting complementary/non-pharmacological intervention on site in Covid-19 patients. A single session of music therapy improves O2Sat and can significantly reduce anxiety.Trial registration: 14/10/2021 No. NCT05077306. https://www.clinicaltrials.cov.

Background: Patients undergoing surgery and general anesthesia often experience anxiety, fear and stress, with negative bodily responses. These may be managed by the pre-procedural application of anxiolytic, analgesic, and anesthetic drugs that have, however, potential risks or side effects. Music therapy (MT) can be used as a complementary no-drug intervention alongside standard surgical care before, during and after medical procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative MT intervention compared to premedication with midazolam on levels of anxiety, sedation and stress during general anesthesia for elective stomatology surgery. Methods: A two-arm randomized and controlled single-center, parallel-group, pre–post event study was conducted. In total, 70 patients affected by stage I or II (both clinically and instrumentally N0) micro-invasive oral cancer and undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia were assigned to the control group (CG) or to the music therapy group (MTG). MTG patients received preoperative music therapy intervention (MT) from a certified music therapist before surgery, while the CG patients did not receive MT but instead received premedication with intravenous midazolam, 0.02 mg/kg. Anesthesia was the same in both groups. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at the entrance to the operating room, just before the induction of anesthesia and every 5 min until the end of surgery. An anxiety visual analogues scale (A-VAS) was used to evaluate the level of anxiety. The bispectral index (BIS) monitor was used to measure the depth of sedation just before and 10 min after both music intervention and midazolam administration. Stress response was assessed 5 min before and 20 min after surgery via the control of plasma prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol levels. The patient global impression of satisfaction (PGIS) was tested 1 h after surgery. Participants in the MTG were asked to answer 3 questions concerning their experience with MT. Results: No statistical differences among the PRL, GH and cortisol levels between the two groups were registered before and after the treatment, as well as for PAS, PAD and HR. Significant differences in the A-VAS scores between the MTG and CG (p < 0.01) was observed. Compared to the CG, MTG patients had a statistically significantly lower BIS score (p = 0.02) before induction. A PGIS score of 86.7% revealed that patients in the MTG were very satisfied, versus 80% in the CG (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Preoperative music therapy could be an alternative to intravenous midazolam when aiming to promote a preoperative and post-operative state of anxiolysis and sedation in stomatology surgery, even if no differences were found in terms of the surgery-related stress response according to physiological and hormonal determinations.

Percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) may subject patients to emotional distress and pain before and during the biopsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of complementary/non-pharmacological interventions such as music therapy (MT) on anxiety, pain and satisfaction in renal patients undergoing PRB. A prospective, single-centre, single-blind, randomized controlled two-arm trial was conducted. Patients ≥18 years of age, hospitalized at the Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Unit (Bari, Italy) and scheduled for PRB were screened. Participants were assigned to standard treatment (CG) or to the music therapy (MT) intervention group. Participants in the MT group received standard care and an MT intervention by a certified music therapist qualified in guided imagery and music. The CG patients received the standard of care. MT and CG patients were subjected to identical measurements (pre/post) of the parameters in the State Trait Anxiety Inventory Y1 (STAI-Y1), visual analogue scale for pain (VAS-P) and satisfaction (VAS-S) and heart rate variability. A statistically significant difference in the anxiety scores after PRB between MT and CG patients (STAI-Y1 35.4 ± 6.2 versus 42.9 ± 9.0) was observed. MT also had strong and significant effects on VAS-P compared with CG (5.0 ± 1.4 versus 6.3 ± 1.3, respectively; P < .001) and VAS-S (7.8 ± 1.0 versus 6.0 ± 0.9, respectively; P < .001). Decreased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and increased activity of the parasympathetic nervous system was observed after PRB in the MT group. Our study supports the use of MT to mitigate the psychological anxiety, pain and sympathetic activation associated with PRB.