Use of virtual reality in children undergoing surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Early mobilization and exercise are crucial for mitigating respiratory complications post-surgery in children.
• Conventional physiotherapy is a standard approach, but its efficacy can be enhanced.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of early mobilization incorporating virtual reality (VR) versus conventional physiotherapy on pulmonary function, dyspnea, exercise capacity, pain, and kinesiophobia in pediatric surgical patients.
• To evaluate VR as an adjunct or alternative to traditional methods for improving post-operative recovery in children.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 27 children (aged 5-18) undergoing various surgeries.
• Participants were assigned to either conventional physiotherapy or VR-enhanced physiotherapy, starting post-anesthesia and continuing for two days.
• Outcome measures included pulmonary function tests, respiratory muscle strength, dyspnea, exercise capacity, dynamic balance, pain, and kinesiophobia, assessed pre-surgery and pre-discharge by a blinded physiotherapist.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed an increase in maximum inspiratory pressure.
• The virtual reality group demonstrated a significant increase in maximum expiratory pressure (p=0.01).
• No significant differences were observed between groups for dyspnea, exercise capacity, dynamic balance, pain, or kinesiophobia (p>0.05).

Conclusions:

• Early physiotherapy effectively improves respiratory parameters in children post-surgery.
• Virtual reality-assisted early mobilization specifically enhances maximal expiratory pressure in pediatric surgical patients.
• Virtual reality presents a viable alternative method to facilitate mobilization and improve respiratory outcomes in children.