BACKGROUND: The use of music to relieve anxiety has been examined in various studies, but the results are inconclusive.

METHODS: From April to October 2015, 160 patients undergoing examination of pulmonary nodules were randomly assigned to MusiCure or no music. MusiCure was administered through earplugs to ensure blinding of the staff and was played from admission to the operating theatre to the end of the bronchoscopy. Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered on admission, immediately before bronchoscopy, and on discharge. Secondary outcomes were p-cortisol, physiological variables, dosage of sedatives, movements measured by Actigraph, bronchoscopy duration, number of re-examinations, and overall perception of the sounds in the operating theatre measured by Visual analogue scale.

RESULTS: The STAI scores were similar on admission, but after a 10-min wait in the operating theatre, scores varied significantly between patients with and without music, with lower scores in the music group [median (interquartile range, IQR) 35 (18) vs. 43 (25); p=0.03]. Post hoc multiple regression revealed treatment group as insignificant when adjusting for sex and baseline anxiety. However, there was a significantly more positive perception of the sounds in the operating theatre in the music group (median (IQR) 8.2 (1.8) vs. 5.4 (6.8); p<0.0001) and fewer re-examinations in the music group (19.2% vs. 7.7%, p<0.032).

CONCLUSIONS: Ten minutes with MusiCure does not alter anxiety when adjusting for baseline anxiety and sex. The current study indicates that this field of research has many confounders.