Evaluating the efficacy of Valsalva’s maneuver and music therapy on peripheral venous cannulation: A prospective study

Abstract

Aim: Peripheral venous cannulation (PVC) is a painful but necessary procedure for patients undergoing surgery. Various distraction techniques have been used to reduce the pain. This study was designed to compare the effect of music therapy and the Valsalva maneuver (VM) on patients’ perioperative pain, anxiety, and satisfaction associated with the PVC.
Methodology: This study was performed in patients that underwent surgery from April 2017 to July 2017, at the Gaziosmanpasa University School of Medicine Hospital. One hundred and fifty patients were randomized into three groups. One listened to music (Group M), one underwent the VM (Group V), and one had no intervention (the control group, Group C) during PVC. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the pain and anxiety of the patients two minutes after venipuncture. A 5-point Likert scale was used to evaluate each patient’s satisfaction.
Results: The study found significant differences in pain score, anxiety level, and patient satisfaction between Group C and Group M (for pain, p = 0.001; for anxiety, p = 0.003; for patient satisfaction, p = 0.004). The only difference measured between groups C and V was in pain score (p = 0.034).
Conclusions: Music and the Valsalva maneuver can be useful to reduce the perception of pain. Additionally, music has a positive effect on reduces patient anxiety in a way that the VM does not.