Brainwave entrainment to minimise sedative drug doses in paediatric surgery: a randomised controlled trial.
Schmid W, Marhofer P, Opfermann P, Zadrazil M, Kimberger O, Triffterer L, Marhofer D, Klug W. · British journal of anaesthesia · 2020 · Randomized controlled trial
Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
In 49 boys undergoing surgery with a caudal block, audiovisual brainwave entrainment reduced the median propofol infusion requirement from 4.2 to 3.0 mg/kg/hour.
Recorded limitations
The intervention combined sound and visual stimulation and cannot establish an isolated binaural-beat effect. Findings concern supervised paediatric anaesthesia, not unsupervised sedation or general wellbeing.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- trust Factor
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- intervention
- Combined auditory and visual entrainment during surgery
- comparator
- Standard surgical protocol without audiovisual entrainment
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/3txf5pmz · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- DRKS00005064
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- sound:i
- title
- Brain entrainment, pain, anxiety and heart-rate variability
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-32653082
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- pmid
- 32653082
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 10
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 10
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-32653082
- publication Key
- doi:10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Brainwave entrainment to minimise sedative drug doses in paediatric surgery: a randomised controlled trial.
- journal
- British journal of anaesthesia
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2020
- authors
- Schmid W, Marhofer P, Opfermann P, Zadrazil M, Kimberger O, Triffterer L, Marhofer D, Klug W.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- pmid
- 32653082
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- collections
sound
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- In 49 boys undergoing surgery with a caudal block, audiovisual brainwave entrainment reduced the median propofol infusion requirement from 4.2 to 3.0 mg/kg/hour.
- limitation
- The intervention combined sound and visual stimulation and cannot establish an isolated binaural-beat effect. Findings concern supervised paediatric anaesthesia, not unsupervised sedation or general wellbeing.
- citation Count
- 10
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 10
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 10
- topics
- key
- sound:i
- title
- Brain entrainment, pain, anxiety and heart-rate variability
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
- journal Key
- britishjournalofanaesthesia
- journal Label
- British journal of anaesthesia
- chapter Entries
- title
- Brainwave entrainment to minimise sedative drug doses in paediatric surgery: a randomised controlled trial.
- journal
- British journal of anaesthesia
- year
- 2020
- authors
- Schmid W, Marhofer P, Opfermann P, Zadrazil M, Kimberger O, Triffterer L, Marhofer D, Klug W.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- pmid
- 32653082
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Clinical & self-report
- citation Count
- 10
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 10
- source
- Europe PMC
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-26
- url
- https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- study Design Assessment
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- assessed At
- 2026-10-26
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- evidence
- intervention
- Combined auditory and visual entrainment during surgery
- comparator
- Standard surgical protocol without audiovisual entrainment
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/3txf5pmz · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- DRKS00005064
- id
- sound-i-pmid-32653082
- record Id
- pmid-32653082
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- In 49 boys undergoing surgery with a caudal block, audiovisual brainwave entrainment reduced the median propofol infusion requirement from 4.2 to 3.0 mg/kg/hour.
- limitation
- The intervention combined sound and visual stimulation and cannot establish an isolated binaural-beat effect. Findings concern supervised paediatric anaesthesia, not unsupervised sedation or general wellbeing.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Reported design checked against the primary publication abstract. Blinding terminology reflects the source report, not an independent risk-of-bias rating.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- publication Key
- doi:10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- collection
- sound
- chapter Number
- 1
- topic Id
- i
- topic Title
- Brain entrainment, pain, anxiety and heart-rate variability
- trust Score
- 3
- evidence
- intervention
- Combined auditory and visual entrainment during surgery
- comparator
- Standard surgical protocol without audiovisual entrainment
- evidence Type
- Clinical or experimental outcomes
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32653082/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.050
- checked At
- 2026-10-26
- review Scope
- Primary publication abstract and bibliographic identity checked; comprehensive full-text risk-of-bias and Jadad assessment pending.
- discovery Sources
https://daytab.com/study/3txf5pmz · https://europepmc.org/article/MED/32653082
- selection Policy
- Success-focused discovery selection, with material limitations retained; not an exhaustive systematic review.
- trial Id
- DRKS00005064
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
3
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false