Music Listening: A Mechanistic Trial

NCT ID: NCT05541029

Last Updated: 2025-12-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

171 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-03-20

Study Completion Date

2027-05-03

Brief Summary

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A randomized within-subject crossover trial to compare the effects of live and recorded music listening on biomarkers of stress and pain among children receiving mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Detailed Description

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Children who are critically ill and receiving mechanical ventilation are at increased risks for experiencing high levels of stress and pain, which negatively impacts immediate and long-term health. The current standard of care for treating stress and pain is to provide analgesic and sedative medications, which are associated with increased risk of delirium and posttraumatic stress disorder. This randomized within-subject crossover trial will compare the effects of live and recorded music listening on biomarkers of stress and pain among children receiving mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit, to identify the key components of a music listening intervention and explore its mechanism of action, i.e., the biological pathway through which music listening decreases stress and pain.

Conditions

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Critical Illness

Keywords

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mechanical ventilation pain stress anxiety

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will receive 3 conditions in a random order, via within-subject block randomization, each day for 3 consecutive days.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors
Study team members responsible for collecting data pre-post session will be masked to the condition received and condition order.

Study Groups

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Live music > Recorded music > Usual Care

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Live music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Live Music. A board-certified music therapist will provide live music (singing with instrument accompaniment) of child preferred songs, per caregiver report, with the tempo entrained to the child's respiratory rate at intervention start and decreased as needed to facilitate relaxation, with a target tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM). Song choices will be based on patient preferences, per caregiver report, and performed with relaxing characteristics (steady rhythm and volume)

Recorded music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Recorded Music. MP3 players will be loaded with a recorded music playlist of the child's preferred songs, per caregiver report, and connected to two small speakers that are to be placed at either side of the head of the bed. Speakers will be tested with sound level meter and volume control set at 50-60 decibels. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the recorded music condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Usual care

Intervention Type OTHER

Usual Care. A pharmacologic approach to ameliorating stress and pain in MV children is standard of care in CHP's PICU. CHP provides weight-based guidelines to aid clinical decisions on medications for sedation and analgesia. Bedside nurses assess the child's sedation and pain scores once an hour and administered PRN medications as needed, based on clinical judgement, using CHP's PICU weight-based guidelines. For example, if a child has a pain score of \>1-2 above goal, guidelines suggest providing a fentanyl dose of 0.5 mcg/kg and assessing again in 1 hour. We will include usual care as a third condition to explore how our selected biomarkers vary over 20 min. without the addition of any musical stimuli. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the usual care condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Recorded music > Usual care > Live music

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Live music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Live Music. A board-certified music therapist will provide live music (singing with instrument accompaniment) of child preferred songs, per caregiver report, with the tempo entrained to the child's respiratory rate at intervention start and decreased as needed to facilitate relaxation, with a target tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM). Song choices will be based on patient preferences, per caregiver report, and performed with relaxing characteristics (steady rhythm and volume)

Recorded music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Recorded Music. MP3 players will be loaded with a recorded music playlist of the child's preferred songs, per caregiver report, and connected to two small speakers that are to be placed at either side of the head of the bed. Speakers will be tested with sound level meter and volume control set at 50-60 decibels. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the recorded music condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Usual care

Intervention Type OTHER

Usual Care. A pharmacologic approach to ameliorating stress and pain in MV children is standard of care in CHP's PICU. CHP provides weight-based guidelines to aid clinical decisions on medications for sedation and analgesia. Bedside nurses assess the child's sedation and pain scores once an hour and administered PRN medications as needed, based on clinical judgement, using CHP's PICU weight-based guidelines. For example, if a child has a pain score of \>1-2 above goal, guidelines suggest providing a fentanyl dose of 0.5 mcg/kg and assessing again in 1 hour. We will include usual care as a third condition to explore how our selected biomarkers vary over 20 min. without the addition of any musical stimuli. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the usual care condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Usual Care > Live music > Recorded music

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Live music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Live Music. A board-certified music therapist will provide live music (singing with instrument accompaniment) of child preferred songs, per caregiver report, with the tempo entrained to the child's respiratory rate at intervention start and decreased as needed to facilitate relaxation, with a target tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM). Song choices will be based on patient preferences, per caregiver report, and performed with relaxing characteristics (steady rhythm and volume)

Recorded music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Recorded Music. MP3 players will be loaded with a recorded music playlist of the child's preferred songs, per caregiver report, and connected to two small speakers that are to be placed at either side of the head of the bed. Speakers will be tested with sound level meter and volume control set at 50-60 decibels. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the recorded music condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Usual care

Intervention Type OTHER

Usual Care. A pharmacologic approach to ameliorating stress and pain in MV children is standard of care in CHP's PICU. CHP provides weight-based guidelines to aid clinical decisions on medications for sedation and analgesia. Bedside nurses assess the child's sedation and pain scores once an hour and administered PRN medications as needed, based on clinical judgement, using CHP's PICU weight-based guidelines. For example, if a child has a pain score of \>1-2 above goal, guidelines suggest providing a fentanyl dose of 0.5 mcg/kg and assessing again in 1 hour. We will include usual care as a third condition to explore how our selected biomarkers vary over 20 min. without the addition of any musical stimuli. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the usual care condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Live music > Usual Care > Recorded music

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

No interventions assigned to this group

Recorded music > Live music > Usual care

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

No interventions assigned to this group

Usual care > Recorded music > Live music

Order of conditions for the day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Live music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Live Music. A board-certified music therapist will provide live music (singing with instrument accompaniment) of child preferred songs, per caregiver report, with the tempo entrained to the child's respiratory rate at intervention start and decreased as needed to facilitate relaxation, with a target tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM). Song choices will be based on patient preferences, per caregiver report, and performed with relaxing characteristics (steady rhythm and volume)

Recorded music

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Recorded Music. MP3 players will be loaded with a recorded music playlist of the child's preferred songs, per caregiver report, and connected to two small speakers that are to be placed at either side of the head of the bed. Speakers will be tested with sound level meter and volume control set at 50-60 decibels. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the recorded music condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Usual care

Intervention Type OTHER

Usual Care. A pharmacologic approach to ameliorating stress and pain in MV children is standard of care in CHP's PICU. CHP provides weight-based guidelines to aid clinical decisions on medications for sedation and analgesia. Bedside nurses assess the child's sedation and pain scores once an hour and administered PRN medications as needed, based on clinical judgement, using CHP's PICU weight-based guidelines. For example, if a child has a pain score of \>1-2 above goal, guidelines suggest providing a fentanyl dose of 0.5 mcg/kg and assessing again in 1 hour. We will include usual care as a third condition to explore how our selected biomarkers vary over 20 min. without the addition of any musical stimuli. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the usual care condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Interventions

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Live music

Live Music. A board-certified music therapist will provide live music (singing with instrument accompaniment) of child preferred songs, per caregiver report, with the tempo entrained to the child's respiratory rate at intervention start and decreased as needed to facilitate relaxation, with a target tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (BPM). Song choices will be based on patient preferences, per caregiver report, and performed with relaxing characteristics (steady rhythm and volume)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Recorded music

Recorded Music. MP3 players will be loaded with a recorded music playlist of the child's preferred songs, per caregiver report, and connected to two small speakers that are to be placed at either side of the head of the bed. Speakers will be tested with sound level meter and volume control set at 50-60 decibels. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the recorded music condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Usual care

Usual Care. A pharmacologic approach to ameliorating stress and pain in MV children is standard of care in CHP's PICU. CHP provides weight-based guidelines to aid clinical decisions on medications for sedation and analgesia. Bedside nurses assess the child's sedation and pain scores once an hour and administered PRN medications as needed, based on clinical judgement, using CHP's PICU weight-based guidelines. For example, if a child has a pain score of \>1-2 above goal, guidelines suggest providing a fentanyl dose of 0.5 mcg/kg and assessing again in 1 hour. We will include usual care as a third condition to explore how our selected biomarkers vary over 20 min. without the addition of any musical stimuli. A member of the study team will stay at bedside throughout the usual care condition. Study team member will log time of session and complete a checklist with open-response option to note relevant information (e.g., Session interruptions from other staff).

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* 2 months -17 years old
* intubated and receiving MV
* expected to have a PICU stay of \>72 hours

Exclusion Criteria

* Primary caregiver does not read, write, and speak English
* The child is not expected to survive the PICU stay
* The child has deafness in both ears, has a history of musicogenic epilepsy, is receiving neuromuscular blockade infusion
* The child has a diagnosis of COVID-19
* The child was admitted for a new traumatic brain injury
Minimum Eligible Age

2 Months

Maximum Eligible Age

17 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jessica Jarvis

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Jessica M Jarvis, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pittsburgh

Locations

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UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Zachary Henry

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 4126927143

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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Jessica M Jarvis, PhD

Role: primary

References

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Chlan LL, Weinert CR, Heiderscheit A, Tracy MF, Skaar DJ, Guttormson JL, Savik K. Effects of patient-directed music intervention on anxiety and sedative exposure in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2013 Jun 12;309(22):2335-44. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.5670.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23689789 (View on PubMed)

Liu MH, Zhu LH, Peng JX, Zhang XP, Xiao ZH, Liu QJ, Qiu J, Latour JM. Effect of Personalized Music Intervention in Mechanically Ventilated Children in the PICU: A Pilot Study. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Jan;21(1):e8-e14. doi: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000002159.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31652195 (View on PubMed)

Bush HI, LaGasse AB, Collier EH, Gettis MA, Walson K. Effect of Live Versus Recorded Music on Children Receiving Mechanical Ventilation and Sedation. Am J Crit Care. 2021 Sep 1;30(5):343-349. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2021646.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34467386 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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K23HD106011

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY22080069

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id