Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2025
The Immersive Cleveland Clinic Virtual Reality Shopping Platform for the Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Published on: July 28, 2022
Virtual Reality Distraction for Reducing Pain and Anxiety During Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions: A
Ebraheem Albazee1,2, Abdullhadi Alrajehi3, Fahad M Alsahli3
1Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations (KIMS), Kuwait City 13018, Kuwait.
None:
Background and Objectives: Percutaneous cardiovascular interventions (PCIs) have become a cornerstone in the management of cardiovascular diseases. However, patients often experience significant anxiety and pain during these procedures, which can negatively impact their overall experience and clinical outcomes. Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging non-pharmacological intervention designed to alleviate procedural anxiety and pain through immersive distraction techniques. Materials and Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified from PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science up to November 2024. Primary outcomes were peri-procedural anxiety and pain; secondary outcomes included vital signs, procedure duration, and safety (e.g., delirium). Continuous data were pooled using a random-effect model and reported as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in Stata MP v.17. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Results: Ten RCTs involving 890 patients were included. VR distraction significantly reduced peri-procedural anxiety (SMD: -0.70; 95% CI: -1.15 to -0.26; p < 0.001). However, no significant differences were observed between groups for peri-procedural pain (SMD: -0.64; 95% CI: -1.45 to 0.16; p = 0.12), systolic blood pressure (SMD: -0.31; 95% CI: -1.23 to 0.61; p = 0.50), diastolic blood pressure (SMD: -0.25; 95% CI: -1.07 to 0.56; p = 0.54), heart rate (SMD: -0.44; 95% CI: -0.93 to 0.05; p = 0.08), respiratory rate (SMD: -0.93; 95% CI: -2.18 to 0.31; p = 0.14), or procedure duration (SMD: 0.07; 95% CI: -1.14 to 0.28; p = 0.49). Conclusions: VR significantly ameliorated peri-procedure anxiety in patients undergoing PCIs; however, it had no effect on peri-procedure pain or vital signs. This is based on uncertain evidence from heterogeneous studies, warranting further confirmation through large-scale RCTs.
