Aimedis is happy to announce that a second medical study has been published, proving that Avalon’s MRI simulation environment can successfully lower distress and claustrophobia in a cardiac MRI. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is vital, but claustrophobia affects 10% of patients. The immersive virtual and augmented reality environment’s metaverse has endless potential to learn and relearn new ways to treat certain illnesses and limitations. We present a metaverse-based CMR simulation for claustrophobic patients.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a vital tool for diagnosing heart problems, but some patients cannot undergo it due to claustrophobia. To address this, researchers are exploring new methods like hypnosis and simulations. The metaverse, a 3D virtual reality (VR) environment, is being tested in several scenarios. This study created a metaverse-based simulation to help claustrophobic patients prepare for CMR. Three cardiomyopathy patients, initially CMR-refusing due to claustrophobia, received training via a virtual reality headset in a metaverse-based virtual hospital.
Training was done one week, three days, and one day before the real CMR. Anxiety levels were measured. All patients completed the virtual training without issues. During the first simulations, some could not complete entering the virtual CMR machine due to anxiety. However, on CMR day, all completed the scan without problems, and their anxiety levels decreased significantly from the initial training. Training efficacy was assessed through questionnaires and anxiety scale results.
The patients completed metaverse-based training, adapting to the CMR simulation. Patients found the training helpful, and it suggested successful platform familiarization. Our study demonstrates the metaverse’s potential in alleviating CMR-related claustrophobia. The immersive nature enhances patient preparation, although usability improvements are needed. Further research should compare this approach with alternatives. This is a green light to try a similar approach to other chronic psychological and physiological conditions.
However, further work is needed to make it user-friendly and accessible without assistance. This study encourages more research to assess the metaverse's usefulness for broader patient groups, comparing it with other methods like hypnosis or sedation. The breakthrough involved Specialists Ioannis Skalidis, Dimitri Arangalage, Ioannis Kachrimanidis, Panagiotis Antiochos, Konstantinos Tsioufis, Stephane Fournier, Emmanouil Skalidis, Iacopo Olivotto, and Niccolo Maurizi.
