NCT02661230

Virtual Reality Exercise on the Intensive Care Unit in Heart Patients

Design of a Cognitive Motor Intervention Using a Video Game to Enhance Brain Activity: A Feasibility Study Including Healthy Participants and Heart Patients on the Intensive Care Unit

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Zurich · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This project proposes the development and design of a motor intervention using a cognitive video game and describes the feasibility, safety and acceptability of virtual augmented video gaming device named Virtual Reality on the Intensive Care Unit (VRICU). The project in two phases is performed in healthy participants (Phase 1) and heart patients after elective heart surgery on the Intensive Care Unit (Phase 2). Furthermore, brain function will be measured during exer-gaming with the VRICU device with non-invasive instruments (fNIRS/EEG) in both the healthy participants and the heart patients. The VRICU device is a patient friendly construction to allow a patient exergaming in bed. The project is a cooperation between scientist at the USZ (physiotherapist / anaesthsiologists / engineers), human movement scientist at the ETHZ and (poly- / electro-) mechanics at the Paul Scherrer Institut.

Detailed description

There is converging evidence at systems levels that physical exercise participation is beneficial to cognition, especially to the different subtypes of attention. Such evidence highlights the importance of promoting physical exercise to prevent or reverse cognitive and neural decline. Accordingly, physical exercise can serve to promote function in patients. Physical exercise games may be engaged to gauge performance increases in motor learning and early rehabilitation programs as performed on an intensive care unit. This project proposes the development and design of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game (which will be performed in supine position in bed) to enhance brain activity and describes the feasibility, safety and acceptability of virtual augmented video dance gaming. This project is divided in two (2) phases: Phase1 The patients are not expected to exercise the video game in the usual standing position due to their condition. Thus, we designed a patient friendly construction with colleagues of the construction department of the Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen, Switzerland), which enables video game exercising in supine position. This construction and custom video game will be tested first in healthy participants for feasibility, acceptability and safety. Furthermore, brain activity of the participants will be measured and evaluated, before during and shortly after playing the video game in 15 healthy participants. Phase 2 After the device and procedures tested in phase 1 is feasible, acceptable and safe, maximal 10 patients on the ICU ward (receiving elective heart surgery, will be recruited to evaluate the feasibility, safety, acceptability and effect on brain function of a custom video exercise game. The aims of this study are: Phase 1 Objective To determine the feasibility, safety acceptability and effect of brain function of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game in healthy participants. Phase 2 Objectives To determine the feasibility, safety and acceptability (if possible) of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game at the Intensive Care Unit. Evaluation of brain functions before, during and after exercising using a video game.

Conditions

• Motor Activity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	COGNIPLUS	Run 1 Video game: Phasic Alertness (Alert S1) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 2 Video game: Intrinsic Alertness (Alert S2) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 3 Video game: Visual modality (Select S1) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 4 Video game: Acoustic / Stimulus Combinations (Select S2) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-03-01
• Primary completion: 2016-12-01
• Completion: 2017-02-01
• First posted: 2016-01-22
• Last updated: 2017-02-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland