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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Mar;109(3):511-517.
doi: 10.1111/apa.15018. Epub 2019 Oct 18.

No effect of a musical intervention on stress response to venepuncture in a neonatal population

Caoimhe Howard  1 , Anna S Powell  1 , Elena Pavlidis  2 , Andreea Pavel  1   2 , Daragh Finn  2 , Andrew Allen  3 , Loreto Olavarria-Ramirez  3 , Gerard Clarke  2   3   4 , Vicki Livingstone  2 , Geraldine B Boylan  1   2 , Eugene M Dempsey  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

No effect of a musical intervention on stress response to venepuncture in a neonatal population

Caoimhe Howard et al. Acta Paediatr. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effect of a musical intervention on neonatal stress response to venepuncture as measured by salivary cortisol levels and pain profile scores.

Methods: In a randomised control crossover trial, participants were randomised to both a control arm (sucrose) and intervention arm (sucrose and music) for routine venepuncture procedures. Salivary swabs were collected at baseline, 20 minutes post-venepuncture and 4 hours post-venepuncture. Pain levels were assessed using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). A total of 16 preterm neonates participated in both arms to complete the study.

Results: Cortisol values were elevated at all timepoints in the intervention arm (baseline, 20 minutes, and 4 hours post-procedure) but not significantly so (P = .056, P = .3, and P = .575, respectively). Median change in cortisol values from baseline was +128.48 pg/mL (-47.66 to 517.02) at 20 minutes and +393.52 pg/mL (47.88-1221.34) at 4 hours post-procedure in the control arm compared to -69.564 pg/mL (-860.96 to 397.289) and +100.48 pg/mL (-560.46 to 842.99) at 20 minutes and 4 hours post-procedure in the intervention arm. There was no statistically significant difference observed between groups (P = .311 at 20 minutes, and P = .203 at 4 hours post-procedure). PIPP scores were not significantly different between study arms.

Conclusion: Our findings did not support the additional benefit of music intervention on neonatal stress response to venepuncture in preterm infants.

Keywords: cortisol; music intervention; neonatology.

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References

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