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Background: Vascular access is a minor procedure that is associated with reported pain and fear in pediatric patients, often resulting in procedural incompliance. Virtual reality has been shown to be effective in adult populations for reducing pain and anxiety in various medical settings, although large studies are lacking in pediatrics. Aims: The primary aim was to determine whether pain would be reduced in pediatric patients using virtual reality undergoing vascular access. The four secondary aims measured patient fear, procedural compliance, satisfaction, and adverse events. Methods: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial was completed at a pediatric hospital, enrolling children 7‐18 years old undergoing vascular access in a variety of clinical settings, randomized to virtual reality or standard of care. Pain scores were measured using a numeric pain faces scale. The secondary outcomes of patient fear, procedural compliance, satisfaction, and adverse events were measured with the Child Fear Scale, modified Induction Compliance Checklist, and satisfaction surveys, respectively. Chi‐squared, t tests, and regression models were used to analyze the results. Results: The analysis included 106 patients in the virtual reality group and 114 in the control. There were no significant differences in postprocedure pain (VR group estimated 0.11 points lower, 95% confidence interval: 0.50 points lower to 0.28 points greater, P =.59), postprocedure fear (VR group estimated 0.05 points lower, 95% confidence interval: 0.23 points lower to 0.13 points greater), or compliance (adjusted odds ratio 2.31, 95% confidence interval: 0.96‐5.56). Children in the virtual reality group were satisfied with the intervention. There were no adverse events. Conclusion: This study demonstrates no reduction in pain while using Virtual reality (VR) across a heterogeneous pediatric inpatient population undergoing vascular access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: acute; chronic; induction of anesthesia; PAIN EN acute chronic induction of anesthesia PAIN 1276 1277 2 11/14/22 20221201 NES 221201 INTRODUCTION The recent meta-analysis by Van Eijk et al. is a welcome addition to the rapidly expanding knowledge regarding the usefulness of virtual reality (VR) for the treatment of pediatric pain and anxiety. Despite these recurring opportunities in VR research, those that regularly use these technologies (these authors included) can attest to the dramatic, and sometimes transformative impact of VR when paired with the "right" patient in the "right" clinical context. [Extracted from the article]

Both virtual reality (VR) and exercise are recognized for their analgesic and anxiolytic properties. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of VR-facilitated exercise to modulate pain. Within-subject cross-over clinical trial. The Stanford Chariot Program conducted this study at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (LCPHS). Healthy participants meeting inclusion criteria were recruited by volunteer solicitation from LCPHS. Participants were randomized by hand dominance and subjected to a standardized cold pressor test with no VR or exercise. After a 5-min wash-out period, participants repeated the test on their other hand while experiencing a VR-facilitated exercise condition. Pain sensitivity, pain tolerance, and sympathetic activation data were collected during both conditions. Pain sensitivity was scored 0–10 and collected every 30 s. Pain tolerance was recorded as the duration a participant could endure the painful stimuli. Sympathetic activation was measured by skin conductance response density (SCRD) and recorded in 30 s epochs by a biosensor. In all analyses, data were nested by participant. Forty-one participants completed both interventions. Pain sensitivity was reduced in the VR-facilitated exercise condition (p < 0.0001). There was no difference in pain tolerance between conditions. While both conditions resulted in an increase in sympathetic activity, SCRD was higher at all time points in the VR-facilitated exercise condition. The reduction in pain sensitivity indicates VR-facilitated exercise results in improved pain perception. VR-facilitated exercise may be especially useful for patients with chronic pain or other conditions requiring physical therapy, where pain may be exacerbated by exercise. • Using an ice bath and bike, we assessed how VR-facilitated exercise modulates pain. • VR-facilitated exercise reduced pain perception. • VR-facilitated exercise did not change pain tolerance. • Both pain and VR-facilitated exercise induced sympathetic activation. • Sympathetic tone was higher with VR-facilitated exercise at all timepoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective: Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging tool to reduce pain and anxiety during procedures. Although VR's clinical benefits are reported, biometric data quantifying VR's effect on pain tolerance is lacking. We used time-lapse, subjective, and biometric data to evaluate VR's effect on modulating pain.Design: Randomized, controlled crossover within-subject clinical trial.Setting: This study was conducted in the Chariot Lab at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and outdoors at Stanford University School of Medicine.Patients: 156 healthy volunteers were included.Interventions: Participants underwent pain-inducing ice immersions while connected to biometric sensors. Participants were randomized to immerse their dominant or non-dominant hand with VR or control (no VR) for one immersion, and then crossed-over to the other hand for the second immersion. We instructed participants to submerge their hand until they reached their pain tolerance or until four minutes elapsed.Measurements: Outcomes included ice immersion duration, perceived pain scores, and skin conductance response density (SCRD), a marker of sympathetic arousal. We used survival analysis and mixed effects models to compare measurements with and without VR.Main Results: 153 participants were included in the analysis. Participants with VR were 64% less likely to remove their hands from the ice bath throughout the immersion's duration compared to control (P < 0.001). Participants with VR reported significantly lower pain scores after controlling for dominant hand treatment assignment, VR vs. no VR treatment order, and gender (P < 0.001). SCRD increased as time progressed for both VR and control groups (P = 0.047 combined), with no significant mean group differences.Conclusions: Participants with VR were more likely to survive the 4-min ice bath challenge longer and with lower levels of pain perception, supporting VR's effectiveness as a distraction tool during painful procedures. We observed no differences in sympathetic response when comparing VR to no VR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]