Using Virtual Reality Instead of Sedation During Operations

Virtual Reality Demonstrations” by Loco Steve licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: The Atlantic

The possibility of using virtual reality (VR) headsets to help patients is no longer in the future. One doctor from Mexico has explored the use of VR during operations to reduce a patient’s stress levels, and found that most patients were able to use less or no sedation at all.

The idea is that a patient can be distracted with exploring a virtual world during an operation that would traditionally cause high stress or otherwise require heavy sedation.

The doctor, Jose Luiz Mosso Vasquez, has proved time and again that patients are able to go through heavy surgeries with less sedation, simply because of their engagement with a calming, scenic, virtual reality world.

Similar studies have found that patients’ stress levels can be reduced by up to 50 percent, “including [reducing] pain-related brain activity.”

Using VR might be an excellent alternative to using sedation in some cases, and could tremendously help reduce costs for patients, hospitals, and even reduce recovery time, Vasquez explained.

Read full story at: The Atlantic

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