JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Connected devices are dramatically changing many aspects in healthcare. One of them, a virtual reality headset, has recently shown to improve analgesia in a small series of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objective:

We aimed to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in patients undergoing AF ablation under conscious sedation.

Methods:

From March to May 2020, all consecutive patients in whom an AF ablation was performed with VR were included. Patients were compared to a consecutive cohort of patients who underwent AF ablation in the 3 months prior to the study. Primary efficacy was assessed by using a visual analog scale, summarizing the overall pain experienced during the ablation.

Results:

Forty-eight patients were planned to receive VR during AF cryoablation procedure (63.0 ± 10.9 years old; 33.3% of females). No patient refused to use the device, however, 14.6% terminated the VR session prematurely. Preparation of the VR headset took a mean of 78 ±13 sec. Compared to the control group, mean perceived pain was lower in the VR group (3.5±1.5 vs. 4.3±1.6; P=0.004) whereas comfort was higher in the VR group (7.5±1.6 vs. 6.8±1.7; P =0.03). On the other hand, morphine consumption was not different between groups. Lastly, complications, procedure and fluoroscopy duration were not different between the two groups.

Conclusions:

Our study demonstrates that, VR can be easily incorporated into standard ablation workflow and was associated with a reduction in the perception of pain and improved patient experience, in addition to standard analgesia. Clinical Trial: NA