directions, patients can find and
choose a topic (relaxation, confi-
dence, comfort, peace), time
length and favored voice.
Can you avoid general anesthe-
sia by using hypnosis? That's what
researchers at The University of
Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center are about to find out. A
study will examine 50 patients
who are randomly selected to
receive either general anesthesia
or a combination of local anesthe-
sia and "hypno-sedation" before
and during surgery.
• Music. Listening to music also works to calm and soothe the patient.
A study published in the April British Journal of Surgery
(osmag.net/VuNN4w) says that music interventions significantly
reduce anxiety and pain in adult surgical patients. The study found
that the effect on anxiety was greatest when the music was played
before surgery. For pain, the largest decreases were seen when play-
ing music afterward.
You can synchronize music to a patient's heartbeat and breathing,
which can stabilize their vital signs, says musicologist Alice Cash, PhD,
LCSW, of Surgical Serenity Solutions, which produces reusable wire-
less headphones pre-loaded with piano music patients can listen to as
they undergo their procedure. Patients also can listen to their choice of
tunes before and after surgery, which helps with pre-op anxiety and
A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 3
• MELLOWING WITH MUSIC Listening to music synchro-
nized with a patient's heartbeat and breathing can stabilize
their pre-operative vital signs.
Alice
Cash,
PhD,
LCSW
