Pulmonary and Physical Virtual Reality Exercises for Patients With Blunt Chest Trauma: Randomized Clinical Trial

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary rehabilitation
• Virtual reality applications in medicine
• Trauma care

Background:

• Blunt chest trauma presents challenges in pain management, respiratory recovery, and patient mobility.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers potential for enhanced patient self-efficacy and autonomy in treatment.
• VR may facilitate achieving key recovery objectives with reduced clinician support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based breathing and physical exercises on pulmonary recovery in trauma patients.
• To compare VR intervention outcomes against usual physiotherapy in a hospital ward setting.

Main Methods:

• A pilot randomized controlled trial comparing VR exercises to standard physiotherapy.
• Primary outcome: vital lung capacity at day 5 or discharge.
• Secondary outcomes: mobility, hospital stay, complications, pain, and patient-reported measures; qualitative interviews assessed experiences.

Main Results:

• Study terminated early due to low enrollment and adherence in both groups.
• No significant difference in vital lung capacity between VR and control groups.
• Patients reported positive experiences with VR's visualization and analgesic effects, but noted lack of added value over usual care.

Conclusions:

• Patient suitability for VR therapy in trauma wards may be lower than anticipated.
• Effective VR implementation requires professional guidance and clinical integration.
• Future research should prioritize adherence, patient-reported experiences, and systematic acceptance analysis before effectiveness studies.