Watching pop concerts with a virtual reality headset during an operation instead of anesthesia –

A kid likes to ride a roller coaster at a theme park. A retired rock band watches Queen play Bohemian Rhapsody right in front of her eyes. But meanwhile, they’re actually on a surgeon’s desk.

They’re wearing virtual reality headsets that effectively distract them from surgery, using technology that could soon mean millions of Brits are overly drugged or addicted to painkillers that can be addictive.

Virtual reality (or VR) has been around since the 1960s, when it was first introduced for military use to train pilots.

The glasses-like device uses screens and motion sensors to create a computer-generated 3D environment in which people can interact. It was later adopted by the gaming world in the 1990s.

Doctors are now exploring the potential of virtual reality as a drug-free way to treat patients, from an alternative to general anesthetics, to a treatment for phobias, and a potentially life-changing way for people with chronic pain.

In UK hospitals, nursing homes and nursing homes, patients are already starting to benefit.

Ian McDonough, 74, from Northumberland, wore a VR headset during knee replacement surgery at the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2020.

He chose to watch a “live” VR performance of the song Bohemian Rhapsody, which distracted his mind from the surgery so effectively that he was given a nerve block instead of general anesthesia.

“It took me away from everything,” he said. “I was aware of a few shots, but I would highly recommend it as an alternative to general anesthesia.”

She had knee replacement surgery on her other leg five years ago and says her virtual reality approach is “much nicer and much faster to heal.”

General anesthesia can be confusing for patients, with common physical side effects such as vomiting and chills.

General anesthesia can be confusing for patients with common physical side effects such as vomiting and chills (image file)

There may also be long-term effects, including cognitive impairments such as memory problems or confusion, a condition called postoperative cognitive dysfunction, which is thought to be caused by anesthetic chemicals that damage nerve cells.

This seems to mainly affect the elderly. A 2014 study in the journal Deutsches Arzteblatt International found that 12% of patients over the age of 60 experienced postoperative cognitive dysfunction three months after surgery.

The VR technology used in Northumbria offers a variety of experiences, focusing on breathing and awareness, such as sitting in a virtual forest or on the African plains, watching wildlife. Movies and concerts are also available.

“We started using VR headsets for elective orthopedic procedures like knee replacements, but we soon saw very positive feedback and have now expanded it,” Dan Lawrence, anesthesiologist at Northumbria Health, told Good Health.

“We found that earplugs not only reduce anxiety, but also reduce the side effects that can happen with general anesthesia.

“Virtual reality has reduced other hospital costs, such as the need for an overnight stay after general anesthesia.”

The hospital has expanded its VR headsets from two to eight: “We use them with regional and local anesthetics and help up to 2,000 patients a year,” he says. Lawrence.

There are plans to expand this further: “For example, when putting together packages that reassure patients about what to expect before treatment,” he says.

At Birmingham Children’s Hospital, they are using virtual reality to reduce young patients’ fears of invasive treatments.

The hospital reports that the VR simulation also helps children stay still during strenuous procedures such as lumbar punctures, where a needle is inserted between the bones in the lower back to collect fluid for testing.

Dr. Ben O’Sullivan, pediatric anesthesiologist at the hospital, told Good Health: “Being in the hospital is a scary time for children, so it’s important to ensure that a level of comfort is maintained. We found roller coaster games to be the most popular for our kids.”

Separately, a study from Evelina Children’s Hospital in London found that using a VR device significantly reduced anxiety in two-thirds of children undergoing procedures such as bloodletting.

Additional support for VR was provided by the 2020 Health Technology Wales review of scientific evidence from clinical trials that concluded that VR more effectively reduced pain during and immediately after procedures than standard care (such as pain relievers). The only side effect is “rare and mild” nausea.

Why is virtual reality so effective? Dr. “Virtual reality is immersive,” explains Jordan Tsigarides, a rheumatologist at the University of East Anglia and a pioneer in virtual reality for patients with chronic pain. It fills the brain with audio-visual signals, excites the senses, and distracts the brain from processing pain signals. It can disrupt the thought cycle in people with chronic pain.

“By putting someone in a situation outside of their normal environment, virtual reality can have a relaxing effect. And if you add an exciting task like a game to it, it’s not hard to get their full attention.’

Dr. “Virtual reality is immersive,” explains Jordan Tsigarides, a rheumatologist at the University of East Anglia and a pioneer in virtual reality for patients with chronic pain. It can disrupt the thought cycle in people with chronic pain.

This immersive power is widely used in healthcare across the UK, thanks to a clinic-friendly kit developed by Cardiff-based company Rescape.

The kit, called DR VR, is used in more than 40 hospitals, nursing homes and nursing homes in contexts such as oncology and palliative care.

CEO Matt Wordley says the kit is primarily a distraction and relaxation tool, but it can have deeper implications.

“A Marie Curie nurse told me how a bedridden recreational diver with motor neuron disease experienced VR by swimming with a fish.

“When he took off his earphones, tears welled in his eyes and the diver made an ‘OK’ gesture with his hand. Virtual reality allowed him to reconnect with the joy of his life.’

Oxford VR, another pioneering British tech company, is developing virtual reality as a treatment for mental health issues.

He successfully tested a VR headset for the treatment of phobias in 100 patients with dizziness. The study, published in 2018 in The Lancet Psychiatry, found that those who received the therapy reported a noticeable reduction in their phobia, on average 68%.

The treatment was later implemented on the NHS for dizziness in some areas, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

Oxford VR’s newest device, gameChange, aims to reduce anxiety in people with psychosis – it’s estimated to affect around 1% of Brits and cause confusion (due to conditions like bipolar disorder).

Often these patients are so afraid that they cannot leave the house, their relationships and lives are seriously deteriorated.

During the GameChange experience, patients are guided by a virtual therapist who guides them to explore simulations of everyday situations, such as in the cafe or on the bus.

The results of a study involving nearly 340 patients from nine NHS Trusts showed that the treatment (administered in weekly 30-minute sessions for six weeks) quadrupled patients’ discomfort and increased the likelihood of them leaving their homes, the Lancet reported in April. .

Daniel Freeman, professor of psychiatry and co-founder of VR science, Oxford, who led the research, told Good Health: “We think this will change the digital delivery of counseling.”

Currently, virtual reality is mainly used to distract people from pain in the short term, but it is also showing promising results for chronic pain.

Dr. As Tsigarides explains, ‘These patients have persistent pain sensations, perhaps after a previous injury, even if there is no physical cause. This is thought to be due to maladaptive pathways in the brain that control pain.

“People with chronic pain often experience ‘pain intervention’, where thoughts about pain invade their lives, affect their functioning, and cause fears of pain that make things worse.”

This can also affect sleep. Dr. “Fatigue hurts you more,” adds Tsigarides. “It’s a vicious circle”.

In an unpublished study of 27 patients, Dr. Tsigarides reported a significant reduction in patients’ pain after using virtual reality for just five minutes.

Dr. “Virtual reality is potentially a huge help for people with chronic pain because we know that doctors often have few effective options, which leads to prescribing strong pain relievers such as opioids that pose a risk of addiction,” Tsigarides says.

There’s another reason VR deserves a chance: value.

Commercial estimates show that using VR equipment could cost the NHS £10 a day. So when used on ten patients a day, it only costs £1 at a time. It is a virtual game even in the real world.