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Clinical Trial
. 2024 Feb 5:9:100258.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjao.2024.100258. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Postoperative virtual reality for recovery after bariatric surgery: study protocol for a randomised clinical trial

Juan P Espinosa-Leon  1 , Ryan Mathura  1 , Guanqing Chen  1 , Melisa Joseph  1 , Trishna Sadhwani  1 , Najla Beydoun  1 , Edjay R Hernandez  1   2 , Tyler Riley  1   3 , Valerie Goodspeed  1 , Brian P O'Gara  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Postoperative virtual reality for recovery after bariatric surgery: study protocol for a randomised clinical trial

Juan P Espinosa-Leon et al. BJA Open. .

Abstract

Background: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols for bariatric surgery improve clinical outcomes. However, the impact of ERAS protocols on patient satisfaction is unknown. Virtual reality has been implemented as an effective adjunct to standard analgesic regimens. This study seeks to find out if immersive virtual reality in the immediate postoperative period could improve the subjective quality of recovery and further reduce opioid requirements for bariatric surgery patients compared with ERAS care alone.

Methods: This is a single-centre, randomised clinical trial of patients recovering from laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Once in the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU), participants will receive either an immersive virtual reality plus ERAS protocol or ERAS protocol alone. The primary outcome will be the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score at PACU discharge. Secondary outcomes include PACU opioid requirements, length of PACU stay, PACU pain scores, QoR-15 score on postoperative day 1, hospital length of stay, opioid requirements, and opioid-related adverse effects until hospital discharge.

Conclusions: Positive findings from this study could introduce virtual reality as a non-pharmacological adjunct during PACU care that improves subjective recovery for patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Clinical trial registration: NCT04754165.

Keywords: metabolic and bariatric surgery; opioid sparing; postoperative pain; subjective recovery; virtual reality.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Study schema. Participants will be enrolled during the preoperative period and assessed using a baseline survey. They will then be randomised into one of two groups for the intervention (1:1 allocation), either the immersive VR plus ERAS protocol group or the control group of ERAS protocol alone. Assessments will be administered at PACU discharge and up until postoperative day 1. ERAS, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery; PACU, post-anaesthesia care unit; QOR-15, Quality of Recovery-15; VR, virtual reality.
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References

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