The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of music entrainment on respiration of patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit. Patients met criteria to participate in the study if they were admitted to the ICU, had a medical diagnosis or had undergone cardiac surgery, and were receiving mechanical ventilation for a period of 1-10 days. Subjects were divided into randomly assigned experimental (n = 20) and control
(n = 20) groups. Each of the groups contained 10 patients with medical diagnoses and 10 who had undergone cardiac surgery. The experimental group received one session of live music during the spontaneous breathing trial, which was performed every morning during the process of weaning from the ventilator. Data were collected on the measures of rapid shallow breathing index, respiration rate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation rate. The researcher ascertained the patient’s preferred music in a family interview (see Appendix F) and used that to fashion a music therapy intervention. Based on baseline readings, musical tempo was matched to the patient’s beginning respiration rate. The patient then listened for 25 minutes to four songs which either gradually increased or decreased in tempo, with every 1st beat of the music accented in order to attempt entrainment of respiration. The control group received no music intervention. Each patient (if able) or a family representative gave consent to participate in the study. Results of a Two-Way ANOVA indicated a significant decrease in the RSBI readings of the medical group who received music therapy and only a slightly significant decrease in oxygen saturation rates of cardiac patients who received music therapy. There were no significant differences by group or from pre to post-test for other measures.
