title: Music therapy can lower the heart rates of severely sick children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Paediatric recipients of haematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) are at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and there is a need to identify interventions that can alleviate stress in this group. The aim of this study was to examine the previously unexplored effect of music therapy on children undergoing HSCT, by analysing physiological parameters and comparing them with a control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a randomised clinical pilot study of 24 patients up to the age of 16 undergoing HSCT at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden. Music therapy, including expressive and receptive elements, was performed twice a week in the treatment group and compared to standard care in the control group. Physiological parameters were evaluated according to the hospital's protocols.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The music therapy group had significantly reduced evening heart rates compared to the control group (p < 0.001), and the effect was sustainable for four to eight hours after the intervention. There were no significant differences in saturation or blood pressure observed between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Music therapy significantly lowered the heart rate of children undergoing HSCT for at least four to eight hours, indicating reduced stress levels and potentially lowering the risk of developing PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. lena.uggla@ki.se.|Center for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. lena.uggla@ki.se.|Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. lena.uggla@ki.se.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uggla
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication and Psychology, The Faculty of Humanities, Aalborgs University, Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Bonde
authors.affiliation: Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Svahn
authors.affiliation: Center for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Remberger
authors.affiliation: Samklang Konsult, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wrangsjö
authors.affiliation: Center for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009147:Music Therapy; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Children; Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Heart rate; Music therapy; Post-traumatic stress disorder