VR headsets could keep ICU patients mentally clear
NCT ID NCT07357389
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether daily 15-minute virtual reality sessions with calming nature scenes and meditation can prevent delirium in high-risk ICU patients. About 822 adults in the surgical ICU at Cedars-Sinai will either get standard care or standard care plus VR for up to 5 days. Researchers will track how many develop delirium, how long it lasts, and whether VR is practical and safe in the ICU.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Virtual reality (VR) sessions with calming scenes, meditation, and music
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to prevent delirium in ICU patients, potentially reducing hospital stays and improving recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study testing feasibility and effectiveness. VR may not be practical for all ICU patients, and the benefits may be small or not apply to everyone.
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 822 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
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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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Individuals who are currently admitted to the SICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center * Expected ICU stay \>48 hours * Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) score between -1 to +2. * CAM-ICU negative * 1≤ risk factor for delirium (Age ≥ 65 years old, history of cognitive impairment, sepsis, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score \>5, history of alcohol or benzodiazepine abuse, recent major surgery) Exclusion Criteria: * Unwilling and/or unable to participate * Intubation of tracheostomy * Self-reported history of severe motion sickness * Inability to follow commands (e.g. severe aphasia, deafness, GCS\<13) * The presence of a facial/head deformity that will prohibit the wearing of a VR head mounted device (HMD * Those that require corrective lenses -2.5 or stronger that cannot be corrected with contact lenses * Having had a seizure in the past year * Unable to understand the instructions or to consent to participation in the study. * Those who are pregnant * Hemodynamic instability (MAP\<65 despite support) * End-of-life care * Severe agitation or delirium (i.e. CAM-ICU + screen)
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cedars Sinai Medical Center
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90048, United States
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