Music may decrease delirium, a form of acute brain failure with no effective treatment that especially affects patients on ventilators in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a study published in the journal, American Journal of Critical Care.
The study, noted that critically ill individuals who listened to slow-tempo, relaxing music with 60 to 80 beats per minute had decreased need for sedatives, fewer days of delirium, and were more awake.
According to the researchers, including those from Regenstrief Institute in the US, patients intubated with ventilators in the ICU experience pain, anxiety and physiologic stress, which are usually treated with drugs that can contribute to delirium.
Like kidney or heart failure, individuals can develop brain failure, but there is no treatment equivalent to dialysis or the ventilator for brain failure, a condition that can adversely affect an individual’s personality and quality of life for years, said study co-author Sikandar Khan from Regenstrief Institute. According to the researchers, music may hold promise to help save patients’ brains, and allow them to experience less stress while critically ill.
The patients also noted that music made them feel more normal and calm as well as giving them a sense of control, the study reported.
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