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Exposure to virtual reality as a tool to reduce peri-operative anxiety in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a single-center prospective randomized clinical trial

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Abstract

Background

More than 60% of patients who undergo surgery for colorectal cancer experience anxiety at some point during the perioperative period. In addition to the obvious impact on the experience of the therapeutic process, the presence of anxiety has also been associated with the appearance of complications. Virtual reality could reduce it by simulating the controlled exposure of the patient to the conscious part of the surgical process.

Methods

Single-center randomized clinical trial (NCT04058600) in which patients who were to undergo surgery for colorectal cancer and who had not previously undergone surgery as adults were exposed, prior to hospital admission, to virtual reality software in which all perioperative phases in which the patient is awake, from admission to discharge, were recreated. The main objective was to determine the presence of pre- and post-exposure anxiety using the validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (STAI-S) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results

A total of 126 patients were recruited (58 exposed, 68 unexposed). There were no differences between the groups in terms of age, gender, anesthetic risk, type of surgery. or levels of preoperative anxiety or depression. After exposure, all anxiety/depression rating scales decreased significantly.

Conclusions

The use of simulation using virtual reality can reduce perioperative anxiety in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank, above all, all the patients who decided to participate in the study. They also thank Doctors Romina Pena, Ana Otero, Silvia Valverde and Raquel Bravo in the Colorectal Surgery team and the entire Nursing team in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department. They are also grateful to the administrative staff, José Rios for the support with statistical analysis, and the technical team at AIS Channel, especially Rodrigo Menchaca (CEO) and Hugo de Lacy (COO).

Funding

The present study was carried out without any external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Carrer Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Víctor Turrado, Yoelimar Guzmán, Francisco B. de Lacy, José M. Balibrea & Antonio Lacy

  2. AIS Channel S.L., Barcelona, Spain

    Víctor Turrado, Yoelimar Guzmán, Julio Jiménez-Lillo, Eduardo Villegas, Francisco B. de Lacy, José M. Balibrea & Antonio Lacy

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Blanch

Authors
  1. Víctor Turrado
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  2. Yoelimar Guzmán
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  3. Julio Jiménez-Lillo
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  4. Eduardo Villegas
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  5. Francisco B. de Lacy
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  6. Jordi Blanch
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  7. José M. Balibrea
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  8. Antonio Lacy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to José M. Balibrea.

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Disclosures

Dr. Lacy has received personal fees from Medtronic, Conmed, Olympus and Applied outside the submitted work. In addition, Dr. Balibrea has received fees from Johnson & Johnson outside the submitted work. Drs. Turrado, Guzmán, Jiménez-Lillo, Villegas, de Lacy and Blanch have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

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Turrado, V., Guzmán, Y., Jiménez-Lillo, J. et al. Exposure to virtual reality as a tool to reduce peri-operative anxiety in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a single-center prospective randomized clinical trial. Surg Endosc 35, 4042–4047 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-021-08407-z

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