title: Virtual reality pain control during burn wound debridement of combat-related burn injuries using robot-like arm mounted VR goggles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This is the first controlled study to explore whether adjunctive immersive virtual reality (VR) can reduce excessive pain of soldiers with combat-related burn injuries during wound debridement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were US soldiers burned in combat attacks involving explosive devices in Iraq or Afghanistan. During the same wound care session using a within-subject experimental design, 12 patients received half of their severe burn wound cleaning procedure (~6 minutes) with standard of care pharmacologies and half while in VR (treatment order randomized). Three 0 to 10 Graphic Rating Scale pain scores for each of the treatment conditions served as the primary variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported significantly less pain when distracted with VR. "Worst pain" (pain intensity) dropped from 6.25 of 10 to 4.50 of 10. "Pain unpleasantness" ratings dropped from "moderate" (6.25 of 10) to "mild" (2.83 of 10). "Time spent thinking about pain" dropped from 76% during no VR to 22% during VR. Patients rated "no VR" as "no fun at all" (<1 of 10) and rated VR as "pretty fun" (7.5 of 10). Follow-up analyses showed VR was especially effective for the six patients who scored 7 of 10 or higher (severe to excruciating) on the "worst pain" (pain intensity) ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results provide the first evidence from a controlled study that adjunctive immersive VR reduced pain of patients with combat-related burn injuries during severe burn wound debridement. Pain reduction during VR was greatest in patients with the highest pain during no VR. These patients were the first to use a unique custom robot-like arm mounted VR goggle system.
authors.affiliation: US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam, Houston, Texas, USA. christopher.maani@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Christopher V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Maani
authors.forename: Hunter G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maiers
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gaylord
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: McGhee
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: DeSocio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery*; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D005139:Eyeglasses; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012371:Robotics; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult