Favorite Music May Ease Pain During IV Puncture

TOPLINEPatients who listened to their favorite music reported significantly less pain 30 seconds and 2 minutes after peripheral intravenous (IV) cannulation than those who listened to no music, according to a prospective study of patients undergoing MRI, including a subset with baseline pain.METHODOLOGYResearchers conducted a prospective nonrandomized controlled study from 2024 to 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland, including 204 outpatients (age range, 17-83 years; 107 females) scheduled for elective brain, spine, or head and neck MRI requiring contrast.Participants were assigned to one of four groups in which they listened to Mozart's Sonata KV 448 (n = 52), favorite music (n = 51), relaxation music (n = 50), or no music (control group; n = 51).Researchers assessed pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) at baseline (before entering the MRI room), immediately after cannulation, 30 seconds after cannulation, and 2 minutes after cannulation.A subgroup analysis included 71 patients with baseline pain (VAS score > 0): 15 in the Mozart group, 20 in the favorite music group, 17 in the relaxation music group, and 19 in the control group.IV cannulation was performed in the antecubital fossa using cannulas of three sizes, with cannulation being successful on the first attempt in all patients except one.TAKEAWAYAmong all patients, listening to favorite music was linked to significantly less pain after puncture at 30 seconds (P = .03) and 2 minutes (P = .009) than listening to no music.Among patients with baseline pain, listening to favorite music was linked to significantly less pain immediately (P = .025), 30 seconds (P = .015), and 2 minutes (P = .006) after puncture than listening to no music.Among patients with baseline pain, listening to Mozart vs listening to no music was linked to significantly less pain 2 minutes (P = .018) but not 30 seconds after puncture. No significant association was observed when all patients were included.IN PRACTICE"In modern medicine, the goal of treating physicians is not only to provide a successful diagnosis and therapy, but also to ensure that the procedure causes as little discomfort as possible," lead investigator Andrei Cristinel Dragnea, University Hospital Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland, said in a press release."In view of our results we will increase the application of music in venous punctures performed for radiological procedures, especially in anxious or claustrophobic patients," senior investigator Meritxell Garcia Alzamora, also from the same institute, added.SOURCEThe study was published online on October 9 in Frontiers in Pain Research.LIMITATIONSMozart's Sonata KV448 was the only classical piece tested, so the findings did not extend to other classical works. The intervention involved relatively mild pain from a small-gauge needle, and the patient-group assignment represented pseudorandomization rather than true randomization. Additionally, the sample size of patients with baseline pain was small.DISCLOSURESThe study received no specific funding. One author reported being on the editorial board of the journal.This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.