The Use of Music for Neonates Post-Cardiac Surgery

A predetermined recording of a music playlist meeting the properties of sedative music is being developed in consultation with a Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) music therapist. Properties of sedative music include soothing, stable, constant, and relatively unchanging, slow tempo and light rhythmic emphasis, constant volume and rhythm, lullaby style, repetitious and no separate melody for chorus/bridge. The music recorded for the neonates has been produced specifically for this study. In accordance with the recommendations for soothing music, BCH Music Therapists have recorded English nursery rhymes (Figure 1) in the key of C major at 60bpm with acoustic guitar and voice. The playlist will be stored on an Apple iPod Touch and will be delivered through a Bluetooth speaker that is positioned centrally (so that the sound input is received binaurally) at the subjects head or feet for a period of 20 minutes once during a 12-hour shift for 14 days or until mechanical ventilation has been discontinued, whichever is first. The literature supports a duration of up to 30 minutes of music therapy followed by at least 30 minutes of silence, with a maximum of four hours per day. Music played for longer than 30 minutes has the potential to be a source of over-stimulation/agitation. There is some evidence to suggest that playing music for long periods of time (two four-hour segments) has a negative effect. In addition, it seems reasonable and likely to assume that the neonate could have a period of 30 minutes when they will not require an intervention associated with post-operative care. The protocol will target a 20 minute playlist. This will allow for variation in the length of songs while ensuring that music will not be played for longer than 30 minutes. There will be at least 30 minutes of quiet between music therapy session.