Virtual reality can replace sedatives during operations.

During surgery, in addition toanesthesia, people are given sedatives to reduce emotional stress. According to the Belgian scientists from the Erasmus Hospital of Rotterdam, to calm the patients as well you can use virtual reality, which hypnotizes a person and gives peace of mind. They proved the truth of their theory during the experiment, the results of which were shared at the congress of the European Society of Anesthesiology Euroanaesthesia.

The experiment involved 60 patients whoorthopedic surgery was required on the shoulder, wrist, or knee joint, all with the use of anesthetics and sedatives. They were divided into groups of 20 people: the first group received anesthesia and sedation, and the second - anesthesia and part of virtual hypnosis. The third group, from which the greatest result was expected, received anesthesia and stayed inside the virtual reality during the operation.

What is virtual hypnosis?

The essence of virtual hypnosis was thatpatients were shown footage from the life of underwater animals. They also wore headphones in which the announcer read the text in a soothing voice. Looking at this, it was expected that patients would be able to completely distract from the operation and not worry about possible pain. In the event of pain, they had the right to say so — they were immediately given a sedative.

As expected, the third group received fromvirtual hypnosis maximum effect - 90% of patients lay quietly on the operating table without requiring sedatives. The second group, which watched only part of the soothing film, also easily underwent surgery, but some people subsequently felt anxious.

Virtual reality in medicine

According to researcher Dolphin Van Hecke,virtual hypnosis is easy to use and is very popular with patients. They still do not know how it reduces pain, but, most likely, patients simply transfer their focus from the operation to the film. In the future, virtual reality may begin to be used as a therapeutic therapy for people with chronic pain.

At the Euroanaesthesia congress, it was told aboutother interesting medical cases. For example, Australian doctors shared how they were able to put out the fire inside one of the patients. More about this frightening case can be read in our material.

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