Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 12, 2025
The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project
Published on: November 12, 2009
Evaluation of virtual reality combining music and a hypnosis session to reduce anxiety before hand surgery under
Nassim Touil1, Athanasia Pavlopoulou1, Mona Momeni1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Aims:
Preoperative anxiety, which can affect postoperative recovery, is often present in patients undergoing surgery under loco-regional anaesthesia (LRA). Minimising preoperative anxiety with premedication can be effective but results in drug-related side effects. Therefore, the use of non-pharmacological techniques should be encouraged.
Methods:
We evaluated whether a virtual reality (VR) incorporating music and a hypnosis session, provided during the performance of LRA, can reduce preoperative anxiety. Fifty patients scheduled for elective hand surgery under an axillary plexus block were enrolled (March-June 2019). The primary outcome measure was the change in the Amsterdam Anxiety and Preoperative Information Scale (APAIS) questionnaire 5 min after the VR session as compared to before the VR session. The secondary outcome measures were the visual analog scale (VAS) for anxiety before and 2 h after the surgery and the Evaluation du Vécu de l'ANesthésie-LocoRégionale (EVAN-LR) satisfaction score.
Results:
Data from 48 patients were analysed. The APAIS score as well as VAS for anxiety were significantly reduced after a VR session (p < .001 for both scores). Patients were very satisfied (EVAN-LR: 92 (88, 94)).
Conclusions:
The use of VR incorporating music and a hypnosis session could be an effective tool in the management of a patient's preoperative anxiety during the performance of an axillary plexus block.
