Appropriate pain and anxiety management of critically-ill patients during bedside procedures remains a big challenge. Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend preemptive analgesia or non-pharmacological interventions, such as relaxation techniques or distraction, to prevent and treat pain during nursing procedures. One of the most painful procedures in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is the removal of chest drains in post-cardiac surgical patients.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a 360º immersive world in which the patient can receive visual and auditory stimuli that distract them from the real environment. Current research has demonstrated that VR reduced pain and anxiety in intravenous catheter insertions or wound care.

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of VR on pain and anxiety during the removal of chest drains, in post-cardiac surgical patients. The hypothesis is that VR reduces both pain and anxiety, in critically-ill patients, during the removal of chest drains in post-cardiac surgical patients.

This is a prospective, randomized, open-label, prospective study of two parallel groups of patients during the removal of chest drains:

Group 1: removal of chest drains according to the usual management protocol.

Group 2: removal of chest drains according to the usual management protocol supplemented by the use of virtual reality glasses (VR glasses)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients ≥ 18 years old
• Patients with Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) between -1 to RASS +1
• Patients undergoing cardiac surgery
• Patients with chest drains
• Patients who voluntarily agree to participate (informed consent form)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with a language barrier
• Patients with cognitive impairments
• Patients with neuromuscular blockers
• Patients with a previous history of documented anxiety
• Patients with epilepsy
• Hemodynamically unstable patients
• Face or ocular infections, with could contaminate VR glasses