Music during kidney surgery was followed by lower pain and anxiety scores
A pooled analysis of randomized trials favored music for postoperative pain and anxiety scores. Reported differences between studies and publication bias for pain limit confidence in the combined findings.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Patients who received music during kidney surgery had lower postoperative pain and anxiety scores than patients in trial control groups. The review detected variation between studies, without reporting its magnitude, and evidence of publication bias for pain. These average symptom scores do not show how many patients experienced a meaningful improvement or how long any improvement lasted.
The abstract does not describe control conditions or postoperative assessment times. It reports statistically significant heterogeneity without its magnitude, alongside publication bias for pain, limiting interpretation of the pooled results.
What researchers found
Pain (VAS) and anxiety (STAI) scores
Pooled standardized mean differences favored music during kidney surgery over trial controls; exact postoperative assessment times were not reported.
What the outcomes measured
The review combined a pain-rating scale and an anxiety questionnaire. Its numerical results were standardized differences, which combine scores across studies; they do not directly describe a specific change in pain-rating points.
Why the pain result needs caution
Publication bias means published studies may not represent all the research conducted. The review detected this issue for pain and reported statistically significant heterogeneity for both outcomes, without specifying how large the between-study variation was.
The original publication
Effect of intraoperative music intervention on anxiety and pain control in patients undergoing kidney surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Lou Y, Xu S, Gao P
Complement Ther Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40749809
- Record checked
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