Pain after heart surgery is a real struggle for patients waking up in the intensive care unit. A large review looked at nineteen trials involving patients in the first forty-eight hours after cardiac surgery. The goal was simple: see if comfort care helps. The study combined data from massage interventions and music listening. Both approaches showed a significant reduction in pain severity. The results were consistent across the different studies included in the analysis. Patients felt less pain when they received these non-drug comfort measures. No serious safety issues were reported during the trials. The findings suggest that adding simple comfort care to standard treatment can make recovery easier. This approach addresses a common need without adding complex medical procedures. The evidence comes from randomized controlled trials which are considered strong proof in medicine. While the review covered many studies, the specific details of each trial varied. The certainty of the finding is supported by the statistical significance reported in the data. This means the results are unlikely to be due to chance alone.
Massage or music listening reduces pain severity in ICU patients within 48 hours after cardiac surgeryComfort care like massage and music lowers pain after heart surgery
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Key Takeaway
Consider massage or music listening to reduce pain in post-cardiac surgery ICU patients.
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of massage intervention and music listening on pain severity in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) within the first 48 hours after cardiac surgery. The analysis combined data from 19 randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of these non-pharmacologic interventions. The primary outcome measured was pain severity, with follow-up occurring within the first 48 hours. The authors reported a significant reduction in pain severity for the intervention groups. Two distinct statistical results were presented, showing p < .00001 and p = .0008 for the reduction in pain. Specific effect sizes and absolute numbers were not reported in the source data. The review did not report adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, or tolerability data. Funding sources and conflicts of interest were not reported. The authors did not provide specific practice relevance recommendations or note limitations regarding causality or certainty. The findings suggest potential benefit for pain management in this specific postoperative setting.
What this means for you:
Comfort care like massage and music lowers pain after heart surgery. View Original Abstract ↓
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of massage and music interventions on alleviating pain severity in the intensive care unit (ICU) within the first 48 hours after cardiac surgery.
DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
METHODS: The study has been proactively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022297174) to ensure transparency and compliance with scientific standards. Studies published in the English and Turkish languages until December 2024 were included in the search, utilizing various scientific databases such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Turkish academic Google database. The Critical Evaluation 13 Model Checklist at the Joanna Briggs Institute was utilized to assess the quality appraisal of the studies included in the research. The data were subjected to both meta-analysis and narrative synthesis techniques. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4.1 software.
RESULTS: The review included 19 randomized controlled trials. Eight were in massage intervention, and 11 were in music intervention. Massage intervention (p < .00001) and music listening (p = .0008) both demonstrated a significant reduction in pain severity within the first 48 hours of ICU admission.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that both massage and music intervention resulted in a tangible and statistically significant reduction in pain severity within the first 48 hours of ICU.
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