Music and 25% glucose pain relief for the premature infant: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the total Premature Infant Pain Profile scores of premature infants undergoing arterial puncture during music and 25% glucose interventions, and to assess their association with neonatal and therapeutic variables. METHOD: a randomized clinical trial with 80 premature infants; 24 in the Experimental Group 1 (music), 33 in the Experimental Group 2 (music and 25% glucose), 23 in the Positive Control Group (25% glucose). All premature infants were videotaped and a lullaby was played for ten minutes before puncture in Experimental Groups 1 and 2; 25% glucose administered in Experimental Group 2 and the Positive Control Group two minutes before puncture. RESULTS: 60.0% of premature infants had moderate or maximum pain; pain scores and intervention groups were not statistically significant. Statistically significant variables: Experimental Group 1: head and chest circumference, Apgar scores, corrected gestational age; Experimental Group 2: chest circumference, Apgar scores, oxygen therapy; Positive Control group: birth weight, head circumference. CONCLUSION: neonatal variables are associated with pain in premature infants. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials: UTN: U1111-1123-4821.

Preterm infants exhibited less pain during a heel stick when they were played the same music their mothers listened to during pregnancy

“…Although there were no significant physiological differences between the groups, there was a significant decrease in the RRs of infants who listened to their mothers’ music before and after the heel stick, which is supported by some earlier studies and not others . The inconsistent results in our case may be due to the duration of the stimulus provided, and further studies that evaluate the impact of specific elements of music are suggested.…”

“…The fact that music may help reduce pain during a heel stick is supported by most previous studies and not supported in a few others . For example, a triple‐blind trial that divided 80 preterm infants into three groups – 24 in an experimental music group one, 33 in an experimental music plus 25% glucose group and 23 in a control group with 25% glucose – found no significant association between pain scores and intervention groups . The incongruous findings in these studies may be due to the differences in the duration and the loudness of the musical stimuli, the kind of music provided and the method of pain assessment.…”

“…This finding has not been reported in previous studies and warrants further investigations with a larger number of participants. The fact that music may help reduce pain during a heel stick is supported by most previous studies and not supported in a few others . For example, a triple‐blind trial that divided 80 preterm infants into three groups – 24 in an experimental music group one, 33 in an experimental music plus 25% glucose group and 23 in a control group with 25% glucose – found no significant association between pain scores and intervention groups .…”

“…Enhanced behavioural responses include increased quiet, alert and sleep behavioural states and decreased crying and fussy states (5,9,10). In contrast to the above, a few studies do not report any significant benefits of music on vital signs or behavioural states (17)(18)(19). Nevertheless, two meta-analyses concluded that there was some evidence to the benefits of music on the physiological and behavioural outcomes of preterm infants.…”

Music listening for anxiety relief in children in the preoperative period: a randomized clinical trial

“…Musical intervention is a therapeutic resource that has been increasingly used in nursing care as a complementary therapy to promote relaxation, emotional and spiritual comfort, distraction, wellness sensation 4 and relief of pain in hospitalized patients 5 . Despite the use of musical intervention by nursing, the therapeutic effectiveness of music has not yet been clearly established 6 .…”