Virtual Reality for Postoperative Pain Management: A Review of Current Evidence
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11916_2024_1308_ReferencePDF.pdf
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351.39 KB
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Author(s)
Malik, Aila
Elshazly, Tarek
Pokuri, Krishna
Apai, Carol
Rothkrug, Alex
Hasoon, Jamal
Chung, Matthew
Ye, Zhewei
Bhayani, Sadiq
Kaye, Alan D.
Date Issued
October 29, 2024
Journal
Current Pain and Headache Reports
Publisher
Springer US
Citation
Malik, A., Elshazly, T., Pokuri, K. et al. Virtual Reality for Postoperative Pain Management: A Review of Current Evidence. Curr Pain Headache Rep 28, 1307–1319 (2024).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Purpose of Review With the ongoing opioid crisis, there is a continued need to develop multimodal pain management strategies inclusive of non-pharmacological treatments. Virtual reality (VR) offers a non-invasive treatment approach for the management of acute and chronic pain including postoperative pain. The aim of this review is to describe the use of VR and its effect on pain-related outcome measures compared to routine care in various types of surgical procedures. Recent Findings Severe postoperative pain is associated with an increased risk of medical complications and may lead to the development of chronic pain. VR-based interventions are a form of distraction therapy that attenuates pain perception and have been shown to reduce activity in central pain-processing regions. In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, VR may reduce postoperative pain and improve physiological parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure. VR technology was found to have a high satisfaction rate in patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgeries. Three-dimensional (3D) VR interventions may be useful for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing head and neck surgery. VR technology has revealed mixed results for postoperative pain control following orthopedic procedures although it has beneficial effects on functional outcomes during postoperative rehabilitation. In the pediatric population, VR is notable for its applicability in postoperative pain control and anxiety. Summary VR technology is a novel, non-pharmacologic adjunct in the management of postoperative pain. Current studies are limited regarding therapy adaptations for the elderly population. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to establish the clinical effectiveness of VR-based therapies in the postoperative setting.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-024-01308-5
