The effects of music played to liver transplant donors during surgery on some hemodynamic parameters and cortisol levels: a randomized controlled trial

This randomized controlled study examined the effects of an intraoperative music intervention on the hemodynamic parameters and cortisol levels of living liver donors. The study was conducted between August 2021 and February 2022 at the liver transplant institute of a university located in Eastern Turkey with 90 donors divided equally into the music, silence, and control groups ( n = 30 each). Hemodynamic parameters and cortisol levels were recorded before and after the intervention. The music group received a 30-minute patient-preferred music intervention during the intraoperative period, beginning simultaneously with anesthesia induction. Direct posttest comparisons showed no significant between-group differences in hemodynamic parameters ( p > 0.05). Within-group analyses showed significant changes in selected parameters ( p < 0.05), with the most pronounced reductions in pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, and cortisol observed in the music group. Group-by-time interactions were significant for pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, and cortisol ( p < 0.05), but not for diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, or oxygen saturation ( p > 0.05). These findings suggest that patient-preferred music administered during the intraoperative period may favorably influence selected stress-related physiological and endocrine responses in living liver donors. However, because direct posttest comparisons of the hemodynamic parameters were not statistically significant, the findings should be interpreted cautiously and not as evidence of a definite clinical benefit. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06997237 (first submitted on 14 May 2025 and first posted on 30 May 2025). Retrospectively registered.