Virtual reality distraction helps claustrophobic patients complete cardiac scans

Patients who experience anxiety or claustrophobia can have difficulty completing important cardiac imaging, including Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans. A new study being presented at the American College of Cardiology Quality Summit 2026 found that providing a virtual reality (VR) distraction found 95% of patients who used VR during cardiac PET/CT imaging completed the ordered imaging study. This solution offers potential savings to hospital systems and patients through a reduction in incomplete imaging.

Kaitlyn Amidon, BSN, RN, MBA, Registered Nurse at UCHealth Southern Region in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and study's lead authorOur most important outcome was that we were able to support patients experiencing claustrophobia through cardiac PET/CT without compromising the diagnostic integrity of their imaging. This is particularly important because patient comfort cannot come at the expense of the clinical value of the examination. Ultimately, the project demonstrates that a relatively simple, non-pharmacologic intervention can help address a patient-centered barrier to clinically valuable cardiac testing while preserving the image quality physicians need to guide cardiovascular care."

Care team members in the non-invasive cardiac testing department at UCHealth evaluated 105 patients who used VR during cardiac PET/CT imaging from July 2025 to March 2026. Patients self-reported having anxiety and/or claustrophobia, and all but four patients included in the study reported some degree of claustrophobia. According to Amidon, as part of the routine pre-imaging nursing assessment, patients were asked about claustrophobia, and those who reported it were specifically offered the use of a virtual reality headset during their testing. Patients were eligible for VR if they did not have a history of seizures and were not undergoing an imaging study involving Fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) radiotracer. The VR program was also advertised to all patients through flyers posted within the department. The four participants who did not report claustrophobia requested to use VR after learning that it was available and otherwise met eligibility criteria.

The VR headset provides immersive visual and auditory experiences designed to redirect the patient's attention away from the scanner environment. Patients could choose from a curated selection of calming experiences, such as nature and travel-themed environments.

"Early in the initiative, we began with a consumer-grade VR headset, which allowed us to explore the concept and identify practical considerations related to patient comfort, content selection, device management and integration into the imaging workflow," Amidon said. "Those early experiences helped inform our transition to a hospital-provided VR system designed for use in the health care setting. That evolution demonstrates that successful implementation involves more than the technology itself, it requires adapting the technology to the clinical environment and learning from both patients and frontline staff."

VR intervention also demonstrated significant financial impact. The complete system required an initial investment of $4,387 and an ongoing cost of $168 per month. Researchers estimated that each aborted imaging study costs approximately $3,000, based on CMS reimbursement, supply expenses and staffing costs. Therefore, even a modest reduction in canceled or aborted testing can result in cost savings, as well as preserving scanner time and staff resources.

Based on positive patient feedback and high study completion rates, UCHealth continues to offer the VR program in their non-invasive cardiac testing department. Its use has also expanded beyond cardiac PET/CT imaging. The VR system is also available to patients undergoing other non-invasive cardiac testing, including echocardiograms and nuclear stress testing using a SPECT camera, although it is used less frequently during those examinations. According to Amidon, staff have also used VR as a distraction technique for patients with significant needle aversion during IV placement.

"The goal has been to make VR available as an additional patient-centered, non-pharmacologic tool when anxiety, claustrophobia or procedural distress may create a barrier to care," she said.

Study limitations include that this was a quality improvement initiative rather than a randomized controlled study, and there was no comparable pre-intervention completion rate. VR was implemented in conjunction with a new PET/CT system that changed patient positioning within the scanner, making completion data from the previous system an inappropriate historical comparison. Therefore, the observed completion rate should not be interpreted as a measured improvement over baseline.

Source:

American College of Cardiology