Original Article
Does Audiovisual Stimulation With Music and Nature Sights (MuViCure) Reduce Pain and Discomfort During Placement of a Femoral Nerve Block?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2008.10.005Get rights and content

MuViCure (Photobia ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark) is a new program for audiovisual stimulation. We hypothesized that audiovisual stimulation would reduce pain and discomfort and improve patients’ well-being during placement of a femoral nerve block. Fifty-five outpatients scheduled for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were randomly allocated into three groups: the first group received audiovisual stimulation (MuViCure), the second group received audio stimulation (MusiCure, Gefion Records ApS, Virum, Denmark), and the third group received no intervention (control). Ten of the 55 patients underwent a qualitative in-depth interview 1-2 days after surgery. Pain and discomfort during the procedure were more prominent in the MuViCure group when compared with the other two groups. Despite these negative results, 14 of the 19 patients in the MuViCure group answered that MuViCure had a positive effect on their well-being. The qualitative interviews revealed that a number of factors other than the audiovisual stimulation had a significant impact on the patients’ experience. The use of MuViCure may be more appropriate in other settings.

Section snippets

Methods

Outpatients scheduled to undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at the Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, were consecutively enrolled after written informed consent was obtained. Exclusion criteria were age less than 18 years, impaired vision or hearing, and inability to understand the Danish language. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups using sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. The first group received audiovisual stimulation (MuViCure), the

Findings

Fifty-five patients were included in the study (MuViCure, n = 19; MusiCure, n = 18; control, n = 18). No patients were excluded after randomization. Baseline characteristics were similar in the three groups (Table 1). The apparently higher degree of nervousness in the MuViCure group was not significant (P = .3). The median intensity of pain during the procedure was significantly higher in the MuViCure group (6, range 2–9) versus MusiCure (3, range 0–10) and control (2, range 0–7) (P <.001). The

Discussion

In the PACU setting, audiovisual stimulation (MuViCure) did not reduce pain or discomfort during placement of a femoral nerve block. Thus, our results are in contrast with most other studies on audiovisual stimulation during painful medical procedures.7, 8, 9, 10, 11 This difference may have several explanations, including study design, characteristics of patient population, and the environmental setting. Placement of a femoral nerve block is likely to be more painful than procedures such as

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by Trygfonden. The MuViCure concept was developed by Eva and Bjørn Wennerwald, who also supplied the technical equipment. The specially composed and produced music and nature sounds (MusiCure) were created and supplied by Niels Eje.

Lone Nikolajsen, MD, PhD, is a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology and Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

References (17)

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Lone Nikolajsen, MD, PhD, is a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology and Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Kirsten Lyndgaard, RN, is a registered nurse in the Department of Anesthesiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Nina B. Schriver, PhD, is a physiotherapist and cultural researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and History of Ideas, RUML, University of Aarhus, Denmark.

Jytte F Moller, MD, PhD, is a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.

Parts of the results were presented August 20, 2008 at the 12th World Congress on Pain, Glascow, UK (poster presentation)

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