Children who are critically ill and receiving mechanical ventilation are at increased risks for experiencing high levels of stress and pain, which negatively impacts immediate and long-term health. The current standard of care for treating stress and pain is to provide analgesic and sedative medications, which are associated with increased risk of delirium and posttraumatic stress disorder. This randomized within-subject crossover trial will compare the effects of live and recorded music listening on biomarkers of stress and pain among children receiving mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit, to identify the key components of a music listening intervention and explore its mechanism of action, i.e., the biological pathway through which music listening decreases stress and pain.
