600 - The State of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit

Friday, February 23, 2024

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT

Presenting Author(s)

ML

Maxwell Li, BS

Medical Student
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Gilbert, Arizona, United States

Co-Author(s)

FH

Fanny Huang, BA

Medical Student
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Berkley, Michigan, United States

Objectives: Extended duration of hospitalization for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been closely associated with musculoskeletal atrophy, articulatory contractures, physical and mental deconditioning, thromboembolic disease, and diminished capacity to execute functional activities of daily living (ADLs). Virtual reality (VR) is an emergent technology that can be used in rehabilitation as an early complementary intervention to improve outcomes in the ICU. This study examines current VR modalities as an adjunct therapy for critically ill patients.

Design: PubMed was searched for combinations of terms including “virtual reality”, “VR”, “immersive”, “interactive”, “rehab”, “rehabilitation”, “intensive care unit”, “intensive care”, “ICU”, “critical care”, and “physical therapy”. Publications were selected based on primary studies detailing the application of VR intervention through a study or trial.

Results: Immersive VR experiences including interactive games, environment-based therapy, and meditation have been shown to be promising interventions to target complications of mood disorder, improve perception of presence, and enhance engagement for treatment and rehabilitation in the ICU. VR has been shown in multiple studies to provide pain management through distraction by environment-based therapy for burn patients, post-surgical patients, and wound care management. Various VR programs help promote early mobilization by using movement-based programs and virtual environments to encourage increased activity, heightened diversity of movements, and motivation toward the therapies.

Conclusions: The emergence of VR modalities shows promising patient outcomes to help reduce neurocognitive stress, increase early mobilization, and as complementary pain management for ICU patients. However, the limited data available, vulnerability of ICU patients, safety concerns including "cyber sickness", and need for more controlled studies emphasize the importance of continued research and cautious implementation of VR interventions in the ICU.