Slow-tempo music did not show a delirium benefit during mechanical ventilation
A randomized trial found no significant improvements in days without delirium or coma, delirium severity, pain, or anxiety compared with silence.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In older adults receiving mechanical ventilation, this music intervention did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in days free of delirium or coma. The trial also did not detect significant improvements in delirium severity, pain, or anxiety. These findings do not establish that music and silence are equivalent, and they apply to the specific intervention and setting studied.
The abstract provides no confidence interval for the primary comparison, limiting assessment of the range of effects compatible with the result. Its findings concern a brief intervention in ventilated intensive-care patients.
What researchers found
Median delirium/coma-free days
Music versus silence during 7 days; interquartile range 0–5 days in each group; P = .66. The difference was not statistically significant.
What the main outcome counted
The main measure counted days when patients were free of both delirium and coma. This combined outcome differs from a direct rating of anxiety or pain, which the researchers also assessed separately.
How listening was compared
Participants heard classical and contemporary music or a silent track through noise-canceling headphones and tablets. Both groups followed the same delivery conditions, allowing the trial to compare the added effect of music within that setup.
The original publication
Slow-Tempo Music and Delirium/Coma-Free Days Among Older Adults Undergoing Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Khan BA, Khan SH, Perkins AJ et al.
JAMA Intern Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41082215
- Record checked
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