The non-VR group requested a higher level of propofol than the VR group. They received more than twice as much as the average during the study. The non-VR group spent an average of 75 minutes in the post-anesthesia recovery unit, compared to 63 minutes for the virtual reality group.
The researchers think that those in the virtual reality group needed lower levels of the anesthesia because they were more distracted. The team acknowledges that it is possible that the group went into surgery already believing in the power of virtual reality. Future trials will need to explore this possibility.
Reducing the amount of anesthesia a patient receives can help shorten hospital stays, and it can save money on the drugs themselves.
Adeel Faruki, an assistant professor in anesthesiology at the University of Colorado, who led the study, says that the team now plans to conduct a follow-up trial in patients undergoing hip and knee surgery.
According to the Virtual Reality Medical Center, there is growing evidence that virtual reality can be used for surgery. Cyber sickness is a form of motion sickness that can be caused by virtual reality.
She says that they have a lot of use cases for surgeries.
VR may be helpful not only during medical procedures but afterwards too, according to Wiederhold, by reducing the risk of chronic pain. “That’s pretty exciting,” she says.
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