Virtual reality could replace sedatives for anxious hip surgery patients
NCT ID NCT07705451
First seen Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether using a virtual reality (VR) headset during hip replacement surgery can lower anxiety and prevent post-surgery confusion in older adults. Half of the participants will watch calming nature scenes through VR while under regional anesthesia, while the other half receives standard care. The goal is to see if this non-drug approach improves comfort and recovery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- immersive virtual reality via a headset showing calming nature scenes
- What this could lead to
- If effective, VR could offer a drug-free way to ease anxiety and prevent confusion after surgery in older patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Some patients may not tolerate the VR headset.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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45 months to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients scheduled for elective cemented or uncemented hip arthroplasty under regional (spinal or epidural) anesthesia. * ASA physical status I-III. * Mentally capable of providing informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Pre-existing cognitive impairment or dementia (as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination). * Severe uncorrected visual or hearing impairments that prevent VR device tolerance. * Severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder). * General contraindications to regional anesthesia (e.g., localized back infection, severe coagulopathy). * Inability to physically tolerate or adjust to the VR headset
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Personality traits may forecast Post-Surgery agitation
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