Safer Pain Management
Called virtual reality hypnosis distraction (VRHD), the technique could provide a valuable drug-free alternative for pain management free of the negative effects of traditional intravenous sedation.
"Given the immersive and distracting nature of the virtual reality experience, this technology has the ability to act as a preventive intervention transforming local anesthesia into a less distressing and potentially pain-free medical procedure", says Dr Dragos Chirnoaga from CUB Erasmus Hospital, Brussels, Belgium who co-led the research.
To test whether VRHD could aid during surgery the team looked at a randomized trial of 60 adults scheduled for orthopedic surgery. They put 40 of them through a VRHD therapy that consisted of wearing virtual reality goggles and headphones and watching a relaxing video.
Up to 90%
Impressively, only 25% of patients receiving VRHD during anesthesia required intravenous sedation. That percentage was even lower, only 10%, for patients given VRHD both before and during the anesthesia.
See the full story here: https://interestingengineering.com/vr-reduces-the-need-for-sedation-during-surgery-by-up-to-90-finds-research