Authors
Kramer Chall, Siddharth Komperla, Ali Abdelaal, Ravish Seeruthun
Published in
Journal of perioperative practice. Pages 17504589261490336. Oct 26, 2026. Epub Oct 26, 2026.
Abstract
Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty under neuraxial anaesthesia remain awake within a stressful operative environment. Music listening is a low-cost, non-pharmacological intervention that may reduce anxiety and pain.
We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to April 2026. Standardised mean differences were pooled using random-effects models; risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.
Eight randomised controlled trials (440 participants) were included. Music listening significantly reduced postoperative anxiety (standardised mean difference = -0.95; 95% confidence intervals: -1.34 to -0.55) and postoperative pain at 24 h (standardised mean difference = -0.81; 95% confidence interval: -1.23 to -0.39) and was associated with reduced opioid consumption, lower intraoperative sedation requirements, fewer conversions from neuraxial to general anaesthesia and higher patient satisfaction. Subgroup analysis suggests that a proportion of the benefit may be attributable to noise isolation from headphones alone rather than to music.
Low-certainty evidence suggests music may be an optional, low-cost adjunct within enhanced recovery after surgery pathways for total knee arthroplasty. Further research is needed to refine optimal intervention protocols and validate benefits in larger multicentre trials.
PMID:
42935037
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Oct 2026.
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