Editor's Note A recent study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ 2024 meeting reveals that a computerized mental health assessment, KCAT, may effectively identify anxiety and depression in pediatric surgical patients. According to an October 20 report in Anesthesiology News, the single-center pilot study involved 65 children aged 7…
Editor's Note Music-based interventions administered preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively can significantly reduce postoperative opioid use and improve mood in patients undergoing same-day surgeries, according to research published October 15 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial evaluated 75 patients aged 18 to 80 who received…
Editor's Note In this original investigation published by JAMA Network on October 31, researchers have found that using virtual reality (VR) technology to give patients familiarity with the surgical setting and surgical tools prior to a procedure can help to reduce their anxiety. The study included 74 patients, ages 18…
Editor's Note This study from the University of Miami examines the effect of a preoperative walkthrough of a patient’s day of surgery using augmented reality (AR) on perioperative anxiety levels. A total of 95 patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery at an outpatient surgery center were randomized to an AR intervention…