Pain Reduction with VR in Indigenous vs Urban Patients in Ambulatory Surgery

Abstract

Abstract: The current report presents comparisons of pain reduction and heart rate response using supplemental virtual reality (VR) pain distraction between 22 indigenous and 22 urban patients during ambulatory surgery.

Material and methods: Forty-four (44) patients participated under full informed consent. Half (n = 22) were indigenous peoples and half (n = 22) were urban patients (those residing in Mexico City). For the urban group, a surgeon performed ambulatory surgeries with local anesthesia to remove lesions in soft tissues, such as lipomas, cysts located in the head, neck, back, shoulders, arms, limbs, and abdomen. For the indigenous group, operating rooms, intravenous line, analgesics, and sedatives were not used. Materials included laptop-linked virtual reality, PlayStation, Smartphones and Google Cardboard googles alongside virtual environments such as Enchanted Forest, The Sea, Lake Valley, Jurassic Dinosaur and Coast Space VR.

Results: Pain scale indicated 2.92 before, 1.67 during and 0.67 after for indigenous participants, and 5.8 before, 3.32 during and 1.48 after for urban participants. Heart rate responses in indigenous were 80.42(before), 78.5 (during) and 72.42 (after) and urban responses were 74.07 (before), 68.53 (during) and 73.1(after).

Discussion: Indigenous patients presented more pain reduction during ambulatory surgery without intravenous lines, analgesics or sedatives and required recovery time or hospitalization. Supplemental VR during medical and surgical procedures is discussed in light of cultural, economic and psychological variables associated with medical care in Mexico.