Musical intervention reduces anxiety-related hypertensive events during cataract surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background; Hypertensive events during cataract surgery may induce complications. We aimed to determine the effect of a musical intervention on anxiety-related hypertensive events during phacoemulsification performed under local anesthesia. Methods; Patients requiring cataract surgery were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (music delivered by earphones) or control group (earphones with no music) for 20 min before surgery. The primary outcome was the change in occurrence of at least one anxiety-related hypertensive event during surgery. Results; A total of 310 patients were randomized in the study (155 in the music group, 155 in the control group). The mean visual measure of anxiety was significantly (p = 0.005) lower in the music group (1.4 ± 2.0) than headphone group (3.1 ± 2.4). The incidence of hypertension related to anxiety was significantly lower (p Conclusions; A 20-minutes musical intervention before cataract surgery reduces patient's anxiety levels and anxiety-related hypertension during procedure and decrease the needs for sedative drugs.