How Music Helps Reduce Stress and Pain in Critically Ill Children

This trial is testing whether music listening — both live music and recorded music — can help reduce stress and pain in children who are critically ill and need a breathing machine in the intensive care unit. Researchers want to understand how music works in the body to ease discomfort, so doctors might one day offer it as an option instead of just relying on sedative and pain medications.

Children in intensive care often experience high levels of stress and pain, and while medications help, they can sometimes cause serious side effects like delirium and long-term emotional trauma. This trial explores whether music could be a gentler way to comfort children during this scary time.