Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Virtual reality and scents could replace opioids for surgery pain

NCT ID NCT04912531

Symptom relief Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether combining virtual reality with pleasant smells can lower pain and anxiety in people recovering from heart or lung surgery. About 80 adults scheduled for cardiothoracic surgery will either receive the VR-and-scent therapy or standard care. The goal is to see if this drug-free approach is practical and effective, potentially reducing the need for opioids.

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

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

About 80 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2022

Expected to finish

Jun 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Be scheduled to undergo any one of the 5 major types of cardiothoracic surgical operations: coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement, aortic valve repair, lung resection, and esophagectomy * Age \> 18 * No cognitive or psychiatric conditions prohibiting study consent or participation. Exclusion Criteria: * Clinical signs of cardiogenic shock at time of surgery * Severe irreversible hypertension * Congenital heart disease * Chronic renal insufficiency defined by Cr ≥ 2.5 or chronic renal replacement therapy * Evidence of cirrhosis or hepatic synthetic failure * Patients with odor allergies or anosmia (lost their sense of smell)

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anxiety postoperative are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety aortic valve insufficiency aortic valve stenosis coronary artery disorder esophageal cancer lung cancer opioid abuse Pain, Postoperative

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anxiety postoperative Opioid use Postoperative pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.