Work

Singing intervention for preoperative hypertension prior to total joint replacement: A case report

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: Traditional therapy for pre-operative hypertension consists of pharmacological interventions, including diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, among others. Although these medications typically lower blood pressure to levels acceptable for surgery, a proportion of patients do not respond. In such refractory cases, clinicians may seek alternative forms of hypertension treatment. The salubrious effects of music therapy on both preoperative anxiety and blood pressure management have been reported in prior studies.1-9 Fourteen randomized controlled trials have examined the use of music as an antihypertensive or anti-anxiety therapy (e.g. references 3, 7, 10, 13, 14). Overall, these studies suggest that listening to music can be effective in reducing blood pressure preoperatively by calming or diverting patients, thereby lowering stress and anxiety. We report the case of a 76-year-old female with chronic stable hypertension who experienced severely elevated blood pressure prior to total knee replacement that was unresponsive to aggressive pharmacological therapy. Her blood pressure dropped dramatically when she sang several religious songs. This case adds to prior literature by pointing to the possible therapeutic effects of producing music, as distinct from listening to music, in the preoperative setting.

Source: Arthritis Care & Research

DOI: 10.1002/acr.20406

Authors: Nina N. Niu, María Teresa Perez, Jeffrey N. Katz

Institutions: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston University, Yale University

Language: English

Topic: Music Therapy and Health

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases