A drug-free way to ease anxiety and pain after heart surgery

Decreasing pain and anxiety after major heart surgery may be as simple as listening to your favourite relaxing songs. — AFP

Listening to music is linked to a significant reduction in anxiety and pain after major heart surgery, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence published in the online journal Open Heart.

As music has neither risks nor known side effects, unlike drugs, but may influence health outcomes, clinicians should consider it for patients scheduled for major heart surgery, suggest the researchers.