Relaxing music decreases the level of anxiety in a pre-operative setting to a greater extent than orally administrated midazolam. Higher effectiveness and absence of apparent adverse effects makes pre-operative relaxing music a useful alternative to midazolam for pre-medication.

Surgical trauma induces a hormonal metabolic response which is partly responsible for postoperative catabolism. In this study 12 patients underwent cholecystectomy during isoflurane anaesthesia, six with a paravertebral block (PVB) in addition. Plasma concentrations of glucose, cortisol and adrenaline, and heart rate and arterial pressure were compared between the two groups. The patients with PVB showed a significantly diminished response to noxious stimuli.

No abstract