Overview
- The randomized trial enrolled 56 adults undergoing laparoscopic gallbladder removal at Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi.
- All patients wore noise-cancelling headphones under a standard general anaesthesia regimen, but only the intervention group heard patient-selected instrumental flute or piano pieces.
- Patients exposed to music needed less propofol to maintain anaesthesia, averaging 6.7 mg/kg/hr versus 7.86 mg/kg/hr in controls.
- The music group required fewer supplemental fentanyl doses and showed steadier blood pressure during the procedure.
- Postoperative cortisol levels were lower with music exposure and patients woke more smoothly with higher satisfaction, while researchers plan further studies to test broader surgical settings.