• Genevieve Beaulieu-Boire, Solange Bourque, Frederic Chagnon, Lucie Chouinard, Nicole Gallo-Payet, and Olivier Lesur.
• Soins intensifs médicaux, département de Médecine, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
• J Crit Care. 2013 Aug 1;28(4):442-50.

PurposeTo evaluate the impact of slow-tempo music listening periods in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients.MethodsA randomized crossover study was performed in a 16-bed, adult critical care unit at a tertiary care hospital. Still-sedated patients, mandating at least 3 more days of mechanical ventilation, were included. The intervention consisted in two 1-hour daily periods of music-vs-sham-MP3 listening which were performed on Day 1 or 3 post-inclusion, with a Day 2 wash-out. "Before-after" collection of vital signs, recording of daily sedative drug consumption and measurement of stress and inflammatory blood markers were performed.ResultsOf 55 randomized patients, 49 were included in the final analyses. Along with music listening, (i) vital signs did not consistently change, whereas narcotic consumption tended to decrease to a similar sedation (P = .06 vs sham-MP3); (ii) cortisol and prolactin blood concentrations decreased, whereas Adreno Cortico Trophic Hormone (ACTH)/cortisol ratio increased (P = .02; P = .038; and P = .015 vs sham-MP3, respectively), (iii) cortisol responders exhibited reversed associated changes in blood mehionine (MET)-enkephalin content (P = .01).ConclusionsIn the present trial, music listening is a more sensitive stress-reliever in terms of biological vs clinical response. The hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal axis stress axis is a quick sensor of music listening in responding mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients, through a rapid reduction in blood cortisol.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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