The Use of Immersive Virtual Reality as a Method of Treating Anxiety and Procedural Pain During Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) of Lower Varicose Veins Under Tumescent Anesthesia

This prospective single-arm interventional study with a pre-post design aims to assess the effect of immersive virtual reality (VR) on procedural anxiety, pain perception, cybersickness, sense of presence, usability, and overall patient satisfaction during ambulatory endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) performed under tumescent local anesthesia (TLA).

All consenting adult patients scheduled for unilateral or bilateral EVLA of the great saphenous vein (GSV), small saphenous vein (SSV), or accessory veins due to symptomatic chronic venous insufficiency (CEAP C2-C6) will be enrolled. There is no control group: every participant who provides informed consent will receive immersive VR (using a head-mounted display with relaxing/immersive nature-based content) starting 5-10 minutes before tumescent infiltration and continuing throughout the procedure (~30-60 minutes).

Key outcome measures will be collected at multiple time points:

Baseline (pre-procedure): hemodynamic parameters, saturation, technology experience, baseline anxiety and pain (VAS / NRS), every 5 minutes during the procedure and right after the surgical procedure, cybersickness (SSQ), satisfaction and any adverse events.

Technology-Focused Objective