Postoperative VR for Recovery After Bariatric Surgery

Postoperative Virtual Reality (VR) for Recovery After Bariatric Surgery

The objective of this study is to investigate whether the addition of immersive virtual reality (VR) in the immediate postoperative period to an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol could improve postoperative recovery from bariatric surgery.

The investigators propose conducting a randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial of patients recovering from laparoscopic bariatric surgery. The objective is to investigate whether the use of virtual reality (VR) during the immediate postoperative period could improve patient reported quality of recovery and potentially reduce opioid analgesic requirements as compared to an existing ERAS protocol.

The investigators hypothesize that immersive VR will improve subjective quality of recovery scores at time of Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) discharge as compared to standard ERAS.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery at BIDMC under general anesthesia.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age<18
• Open wounds or active infection of the face or eye area
• History of seizures or other symptom linked to an epileptic condition
• Patients with hearing aids who are unable to tolerate wearing headphones with their hearing aids
• Patients with a pacemaker or other implanted medical device
• Droplet or airborne precautions (as determined by BIDMC infection control policy)
• Non English Speaking or non Spanish Speaking
• Chronic opioid dependence (existing oral opioid prescription for >3 months, methadone, suboxone)

Drop Out Criteria: (after enrollment and randomization, before intervention)

- Surgery is converted to an open procedure (laparotomy), the patient will be withdrawn from the study as these patients are treated in a manner that is different than standard ERAS protocols