# Music listening interventions for children receiving mechanical ventilation: A mechanistic trial

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $131,658

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pediatric critical illness exposes children to painful and stressful experiences. High levels of stress and pain
increase the risk for adverse acute health outcomes (e.g., delirium) and long-term functional impairment, known
as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in Pediatrics (PICS-p). Respiratory support with intubation and mechanical
ventilation (MV) exacerbates a child's stress and pain, for which the standard of care includes narcotics and
sedation medication. However, these medications increase the risk of delirium, posttraumatic stress disorder,
and impaired cognition. My long-term career goal is to develop mechanistically-based, nonpharmacologic
interventions to remediate PICS-p and improve survivorship for children and their families following pediatric
critical illness. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The training proposed for this K23 award period is crucial for me to
successfully launch this program of research as an independent researcher.
Listening to music to increase comfort (“music listening”) decreases stress and pain symptoms and related
outcomes (e.g., medication use, heart rate) during MV in adults and there is emerging data on feasibility and
preliminary efficacy for music listening during MV in pediatrics. However, the mechanisms through which music
listening impacts stress and pain is unclear, which limits identifying the `active ingredient' of music listening
interventions, resulting in significant variability in intervention components and delivery. These data would result
in an optimized music listening intervention for testing in future trials. We hypothesize live music from certified
music therapists of child preferred songs may be most efficacious in decreasing stress and pain among children
receiving MV compared to recorded music or usual care, due to rhythmic entrainment (active ingredient) and
modulated through the autonomic nervous system (primary mechanism). This proposed research uses a
mechanistic design, a randomized crossover trial with three conditions to compare their effects on biomarkers of
stress and pain across three conditions in children with respiratory failure: Live music listening provided by a
music therapist, recorded music listening, and usual care.
To fill crucial gaps in my expertise, I propose five training objectives: (1) gain skills in the identification and use
of biomarkers in pediatric critical care clinical trials; (2) obtain training in stress and pain physiology; (3) develop
expertise in PICS-p outcomes; (4) develop skills in conducting interventional clinical trials; and (5) cultivate
practical skills in team science, study implementation, and management. I have assembled a multidisciplinary
mentorship team of NIH-funded investigators with expertise in each of my training areas. Completion of the
proposed training and research will result in a competitive R21 a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10845283
- **Project number:** 5K23HD106011-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Jarvis
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $131,658
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-05 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10845283

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10845283, Music listening interventions for children receiving mechanical ventilation: A mechanistic trial (5K23HD106011-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-07 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10845283. Licensed CC0.

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