RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine if noise-canceling headphones (NCHs) with music supersedes pain reduction of other hearing protection for patients transported by Guardian Air Transport via rotor or fixed wing aircraft from 2017 to 2019. METHODS: We designed a randomized pilot study in which patients who received NCHs with or without music were compared with controls who received non-NCH hearing protection alone. Four hundred fifty-four adults 19 to 64 years of age and 36 pediatric patients 4 to 18 years old who received ≥ 1 dose of opioids were included. RESULTS: In the aggregate population, opioid use was reduced by 31% from 14.3 to 10.0 morphine milligram equivalent/h transport (Pâ¯=â¯.131) with music compared with controls. The mean total pain reduction in the aggregate population from -2.5 (standard deviation [SD]â¯=â¯3.2) to -4.0 (SDâ¯=â¯2.9) was 1.6-fold more than controls compared with NCH and music (Pâ¯=â¯.008). This effect was most profound in the pediatric population where the mean total pain reduction with NCHs and music (-5.4, SDâ¯=â¯3.1) was 3.4-fold more than controls (-1.6, SDâ¯=â¯2.7, Pâ¯=â¯.021). CONCLUSIONS: Music may provide greater subjective pain relief when combined with NCHs in the air transport environment; further research is required.