Postoperative virtual reality for recovery after bariatric surgery: study protocol for a randomised clinical trial
Juan P. Espinosa-Leon,
Ryan Mathura,
Guanqing Chen,
Melisa Joseph,
Trishna Sadhwani,
Najla Beydoun,
Edjay R. Hernandez,
Tyler Riley,
Valerie Goodspeed,
Brian P. O'Gara
Affiliations
Juan P. Espinosa-Leon
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author.
Ryan Mathura
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Guanqing Chen
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Melisa Joseph
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Trishna Sadhwani
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Najla Beydoun
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Edjay R. Hernandez
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Tyler Riley
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA
Valerie Goodspeed
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Brian P. O'Gara
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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.
