inclusion difficulties

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a frequent symptom after traumatic brain injury and concerns up to 30% of severely brain-injured patients.

PSH is due to unbalanced autonomic nervous system activity, resulting in sympathetic surges causing hypertension, tachycardia, sweating and hypertonia. The affected patients suffer more pain, more cardiovascular distress, more infections and prolonged rehabilitation and mechanical ventilation; additionally it could lead to a worse outcome.

Classical music was shown to reduce autonomic nervous system imbalance in healthy people and in many medical diseases. It could be a means to dampen sympathetic surges for brain-injured patients presenting with PSH, as well.

Our study aims at demonstrating that early musical intervention, started with the weaning of sedation, can reduce both the prevalence and the severity of paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity in traumatic brain-injured patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Severe traumatic brain injury (either initial Glasgow Coma Scale < 8 or intracranial pressure > 20mmHg for more than 20 min)
• National health service coverage
• Informed consent signed by next of kin

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-traumatic brain injury
• Conditions interfering with measures: bilateral fixed pupils, temporal bone fracture including acoustic channel, eye trauma, previous eye surgery, otorrhagia, hypoacusis,
• Preexisting autonomic nervous system imbalance: severe diabetes, arrhythmias, pace maker, implantable defibrillator, cardiac transplantation
• Respiratory rate < 9/min
• Patient subject to guardianship or wardship
• Pregnant or breastfeeding woman
• Current participation in another biomedical research protocol