Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jan 2025
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of In-Hospital Use of Virtual Reality to Reduce Preoperative Anxiety Prior to Cardiac Surgery.
To study the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in reducing anxiety levels in patients undergoing first-time sternotomy for cardiac surgery. ⋯ Overall, the findings suggest that treatment of older adults with an immersive VR experience before cardiac surgery can significantly reduce overall anxiety. Further investigation determining how such interventions can be optimally implemented in surgical practices and whether such interventions reduce the need for anxiolytic medications and improve the overall patient experience is needed.