Wang, Y., Tang, H., Guo, Q., Liu, J., Liu, X., Luo, J., & Yang, W. (2015). Effects of intravenous patient-controlled sufentanil analgesia and music therapy on pain and hemodynamics after surgery for lung cancer: A randomized parallel study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 21, 667–672. 

To determine the effect of postoperative intravenous sufentanil for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) use combined with music therapy on pain and hemodynamics in patients with lung cancer after surgery

Before operation, a music therapist guided patient to hypnosis with music-assisted progressive muscle relation. During the operation, the music intervention was suspended. At three, seven, 15, and 19 hours after the operation, the music intervention was implemented in one-hour sessions in the intensive care unit.

• N = 60  
• AVERAGE AGE = 53.8 years (SD = 11.2 years) control; 53.5 years (SD = 10.7 years) music
• MALES: 58%, FEMALES: 42%
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Patients with stages 1 and 2 lung cancer receiving resection
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Exclusion criteria included opioid allergies, blood coagulation dysfunction, asthma, peptic ulcers, liver and kidney disease, hearing impairments, alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness or memory dysfunction, inability to operate PCA, and professional music background.

• SITE: Single site    
• SETTING TYPE: Inpatient    
• LOCATION: Intensive care units

• PHASE OF CARE: Multiple phases of care

Randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial

• Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS)
• Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
• Hemodynamic measurements included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate.
• Sufentanil consumption and adverse reactions

Participants in the music therapy group had significantly lower VAS scores, blood pressure, heart rate, SAS scores, postoperative analgesic use, and sufentanil doses within 24 hours after surgery when compared to the control group.

Intravenous sufentanil PCA combined with music therapy improved PCA use after lung cancer surgery. Lower doses of sufentanil and less frequent PCA use were reported. In addition, combined therapy reduced blood pressure and heart rate.

• Small sample (< 100)
• Risk of bias (no blinding)
• Measurement validity/reliability questionable

This study suggested that combined music and sufentanil therapy can effectively improve PCA effects and reduce the dose of sufentanil needed while decreasing the blood pressure and heart rate in patients who received lung cancer resections.