Each year, millions of children worldwide undergo general anesthesia for various surgical or diagnostic procedures. In Hungary, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 children are treated in pediatric surgical centers annually, and additional 5,000 to 10,000 children undergo operation in adult otolaryngology departments. Treating children is a challenge, as their cognitive and emotional development levels may pose difficulties for them in understanding the procedures ahead and may make the processing of the stressful experiences of the intervention uncertain. Preoperative anxiety can often lead to increased postoperative pain, confusion, extended hospital stays, and undesirable behavioral changes. Various methods are available to manage perioperative anxiety and pain (such as administering anxiolytics as premedication, allowing parental presence during anesthesia induction, and postoperative pain relief). Although distraction methods like music or cartoons have proven effective, pharmacological treatment remains the gold standard. The use of newer, alternative solutions (such as psychoeducation or virtual reality) has not yet become part of routine practice. Virtual reality is a new, innovative tool that offers an immersive, three-dimensional audiovisual experience, diverting children’s attention away from unpleasant experiences. The use of virtual reality in pediatric settings is particularly promising, as children’s attention can easily be engaged through virtual games, reducing the anxiety and pain caused by medical procedures. This article presents the pediatric applications of virtual reality and the possibilities of its use in procedural and perioperative environments based on literature data, in relation to the fact that personal experience with the method has begun at the Pediatric Center of Semmelweis University. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(2): 50–59.
Évente világszerte több millió gyermeket altatnak különböző sebészeti vagy diagnosztikus beavatkozások miatt szükségessé váló általános érzéstelenítés kapcsán. Magyarországon ez a szám évente körülbelül 20–30 ezer gyermek, akiket gyermeksebészeti központokban kezelnek, további 5–10 ezer gyermek ellátása pedig felnőtt gégészeti osztályokon történik. A gyermekek kezelése különösen nagy kihívást jelent, mivel kognitív és érzelmi fejlődési szintjük nehezíti az előttük álló beavatkozások megértését, és bizonytalanná teszi a beavatkozással járó stresszes állapot feldolgozását. Az altatások előtti szorongás gyakran fokozott posztoperatív fájdalomhoz, zavartsághoz és hosszabb kórházi tartózkodáshoz vezethet, valamint nemkívánatos magatartásbeli változások is kialakulhatnak. A perioperatív szorongás és fájdalom kezelésére különböző módszerek (premedikációként adott szorongáscsökkentők, szülői jelenlét biztosítása az anesztézia indukciójakor, posztoperatív fájdalomcsillapítók) állnak rendelkezésre. Bár a figyelemelterelő módszerek (zene, mesefilmek) hatékonynak bizonyultak, jelenleg továbbra is a farmakológiai kezelést tekintjük alapvető módszernek. Az újabb, alternatív megoldások (pszichoedukáció, virtuális valóság) alkalmazása még nem vált a mindennapi gyakorlat részévé. A virtuális valóság egy új, innovatív eszköz, amely immerzív, háromdimenziós, audiovizuális élményt nyújt, elvonva a gyermekek figyelmét a kellemetlen tapasztalatokról. A virtuális valóság alkalmazása gyermekgyógyászati környezetben különösen ígéretes, mivel a gyermekek figyelme könnyen leköthető virtuális játékokkal, ami csökkenti a beavatkozások okozta szorongást és fájdalmat. A jelenlegi közlemény a virtuális valóság gyermekgyógyászati vonatkozásait, annak procedurális és perioperatív környezetben való használatának lehetőségeit mutatja be irodalmi adatok alapján annak kapcsán, hogy a módszerrel történő saját tapasztalatszerzés elindult a Semmelweis Egyetem Gyermekgyógyászati Klinikáján. Orv Hetil. 2025; 166(2): 50–59.
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