Perioperative music therapy: state of the art and applicability in anesthesia

Audition is a complex process in which sound transduces into electrical energy which is processed and interpreted at the auditory cortex. Music therapy is an inexpensive technique applicable to anesthesia. As an adjuvant to pharmacological interventions it allows reducing the requirements of certain medicines. Objective: a non-systematic review in recognized databases. Methodology: A thorough search of systematic reviews, consensuses and meta-analyses on electronic databases PubMed, Science Direct, OvidSP, EBSCO and SciELO using electronic descriptors. 393 articles were retrieved from the searches which included 80 related with music, music therapy, medicine and adults; 77 regarding electrencephalography, acoustic stimulation and cortical synchronization; 32 on balanced anesthesia and methyl ethers; and, 68 related with music and anesthesia. Only 100 articles were eligible for inclusion as only full text reports were considered. Two university physics textbooks were used as supplemental reading resources. Conclusions: music is a valuable adjuvant of anesthesia which can provide reduced morbidity and mortality and related costs. Further studies are needed to determine the scope of this association.