The most current solutions using virtual-reality-based methods in cardiac surgery – a survey

Abstract

There is a widespread belief that VR technologies can provide controlled, multisensory, interactive 3D stimulus environments that engage patients in interventions and measure, record and motivate required human performance. In order to investigate state-of-the-art and associated occupations we provided a careful review of 6 leading medical and technical bibliometric databases. Despite the apparent popularity of the topic of VR use in cardiac surgery, only 47 articles published between 2002 and 2022 met the inclusion criteria. Based on them, VR-based solutions in cardiac surgery are useful both, for medical specialists and for the patients themselves. The new lifestyle required from cardiac surgery patients is easier to implement thanks to VR-based educational and motivational tools. However, it is necessary to develop the above-mentioned tools and compare their effectiveness with Augmented Reality (AR). For the aforementioned reasons, interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists, clinicians and engineers is necessary.