Virtual reality experiences during surgery could reduce the amount of anaesthetic required

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-09-22 04:00

International

Faruki et al., 2022, PLOS ONE

Using a virtual reality headset during surgery could be a way to reduce the amount of anaesthetic a patient needs, according to international research. The team trialled VR experiences for about 20 patients undergoing hand surgery, which usually requires a regional anaesthetic before the surgery combined with additional sedation during the surgery at the anaesthetist's discretion. Compared to a control group, the researchers say the patients using the VR headsets required less sedatives during the surgery but reported similar overall satisfaction and pain. They say this could help reduce the risks that come from over-sedating people during surgery.

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Journal/
conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Colorado Hospital, USA

Funder: BOG was funded by an American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research Mentored Research Training Grant for a portion of the study period. XRHealth provided free access to software and hardware required for the trial. Additional support for investigator time, research personnel and equipment were provided by the BIDMC Center for Anesthesia Research Excellence. The investigators maintained control of the protocol and data throughout the study period and the manuscript was prepared at the discretion of the investigators. The funder, Spectrum Healthcare Partners, provided support in the form of salaries for authors GK, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.

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