Pilot Study Exploring the Effects of Virtual Reality Hypnosis as a Pain and Anxiety Relief Strategy in Oncology Patients during a Port-catheter Placement Procedure

The port-catheter (PAC) requires an invasive placement procedure that can induce perioperative pain and anxiety. Virtual Reality Hypnosis (VRH) is an innovative technique, underexplored in clinical applications. This study evaluates the effects of VRH on pain, anxiety, satisfaction, absorption and dissociation in oncology patients undergoing PAC placement. Methods: Twenty oncology patients (68.5 ± 8.5yo; 15 women) received VRH (Aqua, HypnoVR, following a whale in an underwater world) in addition to usual care (i.e., local anesthesia alone) during the PAC placement. Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) on pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, anxiety and comfort were assessed before and after the intervention; as well as satisfaction, absorption and dissociation, solely after. Non-parametric paired samples tests (Wilcoxon) and Spearman's correlations were used. Results: VRH significantly reduced anxiety (p < 0.001), while pain showed a decreasing trend. Absorption correlated negatively with post-anxiety (p = 0.006), and dissociation was positively associated with absorption (p=0.010). Discussion: These findings showed study feasibility in the context of an invasive procedure such as PAC for patients with cancer and suggest VRH as a promising approach to manage perioperative anxiety. A randomised controlled trial is currently being conducted to further validate these results.