Virtual Reality as an Adjunct to Ketamine Infusion Therapy Increases Patient Satisfaction in the Management of Chronic Pain and Depression: A Retrospective Pilot Study

作     者：Melissa C. Selinger David M. Compton Hamilton Morris Timothy J. Canty Melissa C. Selinger;David M. Compton;Hamilton Morris;Timothy J. Canty

作者机构：Manhattan Restorative Health Sciences New York NY USA Behavioral Neuroscience Program Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach FL USA Department of Psychology Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach FL USA Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia PA USA 

出 版 物：《Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science》 (行为与脑科学期刊（英文）)

年 卷 期：2023年第13卷第12期

页      面：243-261页

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100214[医学-肿瘤学] 10[医学] 

主　　题：Ketamine Infusion Therapy Virtual Reality Chronic Pain Depression 

摘      要：The management of patients with concomitant chronic pain (CP) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) remains challenging for clinicians. Current chronic pharmacologic management is often unsuccessful, or has intolerable side effects to the patients. While not restricted to patients with chronic pain, these patients are often diagnosed with depression, presenting with symptoms such as poor mood, anhedonia, and altered cognitive processes. It is estimated that a substantial proportion of treated patients do not derive a substantive benefit from traditional pharmacological treatments for depression. The present study involved a retrospective review of cases, exploring the patient-reported satisfaction with and tolerability of a novel use of virtual reality (VR), coined KVR, as an adjunct to intravenous ketamine infusion therapies. Specifically, the ketamine-virtual reality protocol was employed as a potential adjunctive intervention for patients suffering from chronic pain and depression. Visual Analog Scores (VAS) associated with pain were significantly lower on the third than on the first assessment day. Montgomery-?sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores improved following infusion and across days (i.e., sessions). Lastly, 2/3 of patients preferred the use of VR with their ketamine infusion. The results are considered in terms of implementing prospective studies to examine whether the combination therapies have a synergistic benefit and the nature and magnitude of clinically meaningful treatment effects, if any.