Intraoperative Music Therapy in Gynecological Oncology

Background Perioperative anxiety and postoperative pain can impact surgical morbidity. We aimed to evaluate the effect of intraoperative music therapy in the reduction of immediate postoperative pain in patients undergoing gynecological oncology surgery within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. Secondary objectives include reduction in preoperative anxiety, postoperative pain overtime, neurohormonal response, morbidity, length of hospital stay (LOS) and patient satisfaction. Methods Prospective, randomized, double-blinded single-center study including patients undergoing surgery for ovarian, endometrial or cervical cancer over a period of 12 months. Patients were randomly assigned to receiving intraoperative music therapy (Group A) or undergoing standard management (Group B). A reduction in immediate postoperative pain was defined as a reduction in ≥2 points in the Verbal Rating Scale(VRS) at 4h postoperatively. Hemodynamic variables and blood samples were collected during the procedure for determination of cortisol levels. A scale of closed numeric questions (Likert-like) was used to assess patient satisfaction.