Comparing Binaural Beat Music and Noise Cancelling Headphones for reducing intraoperative anxiety in patients undergoing surgery under spinal anaesthesia - A Randomized Controlled Study

The study will include adult patients of either gender, aged 18 to 60 years, with ASA physical status I or II, scheduled for lower abdominal surgeries under spinal anaesthesia. Patients with hearing impairment, psychiatric or neurological disorders, contraindications to spinal anaesthesia, and pregnant or lactating women will be excluded.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group N (noise-cancelling headphones without music) or Group B (binaural beat music through headphones). Randomisation will be done using computer-generated numbers and allocation will follow the sequentially numbered opaque sealed envelope technique. Patients will be blinded to the intervention.

During preanaesthetic evaluation, patients will be briefed about the interventions, and baseline vitals along with STAI-6 anxiety scores will be recorded. Spinal anaesthesia will be administered, and once a sensory level of T8 is confirmed, the assigned intervention will commence. Intraoperative monitoring will include heart rate, blood pressure, Ramsay Sedation Scale, and communication difficulty using a Likert scale. These will be recorded at specified intervals. At the end of surgery, STAI-6 and VAS-S (Visual Analogue Scale for Satisfaction) will be documented. Headphones will be sanitized after each use.