Effects of music therapy on anxiety among patients undergoing cardiac procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The article aims to assess impact of music therapy on anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac procedures Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central were searched to identify relevant cohorts and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We evaluated anxiety, heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP), respiratory rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and mean oxygen saturation (SaO 2 ) using weighted random-effects models, reporting mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: In total, 1706 patients from 18 RCTs and one cohort study were analyzed. Music therapy recipients showed significantly lower anxiety measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (MD: −4.75; P = 0.002). The music therapy group demonstrated improved HR (MD: −4.90, P = 0.02), SBP (MD: −5.14, P = 0.01), and respiratory rate (MD: −1.15, P = 0.01). No significant differences were observed in anxiety measured by the Numerical Anxiety Rating Scale (MD: −1.09, P = 0.14), DBP (MD: −2.61, P = 0.15), MAP (MD: −4.71, P = 0.47), or SaO 2 (MD: 0.93, P = 0.61). Conclusion: Music therapy significantly reduces anxiety and enhances post-procedural HR, SBP, and respiratory rates in cardiac procedure patients.