Journal of Anesthesia and SurgeryJournal of Anesthesia and SurgeryJournal of Anesthesia and SurgeryJournal of Anesthesia and Surgery2377-1364Ommega Online PublishersNew Jersey, USA53210.15436/2377-1364.15.532Research ArticleThe Skin Conductance Algesimeter Validated with the Numerical Rating Scale Postoperatively in Patients Treated with Classical MusicThe Skin Conductance Algesimeter Validated with the Numerical Rating Scale Postoperatively in Patients Treated with Classical MusicHanneStorm 1Department of Anesthesia ICU University of Pisa 2Department of Endocrine Surgery University of Pisa 3Institute of Clinical Medicine University of Oslo Norway Editor* E-mail: hanne.storm@medisin.uio.no
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
20150611201522JAS-15-RA-53215092015291020152015Creative Commons Attribution LicenseThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. nbsp Background An inadequate estimation and management of perioperative pain may delay patient recovery and discharge from hospital The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the skin conductance algesimeter index - number of skin conductance fluctuations NSCF per second as compared to the Numerical Rating Scale NRS in perioperative pain monitoring of thyroidectomy patients for patients listening to classical music Methods Forty patients scheduled for surgical thyroidectomy were randomized into two groups with partially different postoperative managements Group C Control received the traditional treatment while Group S Study had classical music in addition to the traditional treatment In both groups the postoperative pain levels were assessed using NSCF per second NRS and self-administrated analgesic drug consumption Results The C and S groups were characterized by similar levels of pain as measured by NRS and NSCF per second The S group used less morphine than the C group 0 3 mg vs 1 1 mg P lt 0 01 We also observed a significant correlation between NRS and NSCF per second when 30 minute time intervals between measurements were used R 0 69 P lt 0 01 On the other hand no correlation was observed when moment-by-moment measurements were used Both the NRS and NSCF per second decreased significantly during the postoperative period Conclusion The NRS and NSCF per second performed similarly for pain assessment in the postoperative period Classical music listening in addition to traditional treatment reduced the morphine consumption without clearly influencing the pain level as measured by NRS and NSCF per second 10