VERARE : Effectiveness of Virtual Motor Actions for Improving Walking in Patients With Post-resuscitation Muscle Weakness

Summary

After a hospitalization in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), approximately 50% of patients usually have a ICU-Weakness, i.e. nerves and muscles injury secondary to immobilization and to treatments which had to be used. This disease is expected to be similar or even higher in patients suffering from COVID-19 and hospitalized in ICU due to the average length of hospitalization of several weeks in this population. This condition will delay the return-to-walk of these patients, their discharge from hospitalization and may deteriorate their autonomy in daily life activities.

Virtual Reality (VR) environments are already used and have proven their worth for the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with neurological diseases. It therefore seems appropriate to offer the use of virtual environments for this type of population. VR represents a unique opportunity for the rehabilitation care of these patients, and in particular those who have been reached by COVID-19, due to the possible mismatch between the amount of motor rehabilitation to be provided and the fatigability and breathlessness at the slightest effort which seem particularly intense in this population.

The main objective of our project is to improve and to accelerate gait recovery in patients hospitalized in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine after discharge from Resuscitation or Continuous Care Unit and in patients hospitalized in ICU and presenting ICU-weakness secondary to resuscitation, notably due to COVID-19 infection, thanks to the use of Virtual Reality tools. The VR tool will consist of virtual environments presented using a Virtual Reality headset where an avatar (double) of the patient hospitalized in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine or in ICU will be represented, who will perform different motor tasks involving their lower limbs (ex: walking, or kicking a ball) in several different virtual environments (settings). The patient will be asked to observe actions, then to imagine carrying out their actions which will be performed by the avatar in the virtual environment, then they will be able to control the actions of the avatar using their legs thanks to sensors, then feel walking sensations through the use of haptic devices.

Conditions

• Weakness of the Lower Limbs

Interventions

OTHER

Observation of Virtual Actions

If the patient is included in the Virtual Reality group, he/she will be asked to observe Virtual Motor Actions (their own avatar moving in a virtual environment) using a headset once a day for 9 days during 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of relaxation performed using soothing music played through headphones.

OTHER

Relaxation

If the patient is included in the Relaxation group, he/she will be offered 10 minutes of relaxation performed using soothing music played in headphones once a day for 9 days.

OTHER

Acceptability questionnaire

It will be asked to complete an acceptability questionnaire (a priori) concerning the use of a Virtual Reality tool intended to improve walking in the ICU. The duration of filling in this questionnaire is estimated at 30 minutes.

OTHER

Observation of Virtual Actions (step 4)

If the patient is included in the Observation of Virtual Actions group, he/she will be asked to observe for 10 minutes once a day for 9 days Virtual Motor Actions (avatar moving in a virtual environment) using a Virtual Reality headset.

OTHER

Performing Virtual Actions

If the patient is included in the group Performing Virtual Actions, he/she will be asked to perform Virtual Actions of the lower limbs by controlling the legs of his avatar (virtual double) in order to move around in a virtual environment for 10 minutes per day, once a day for 9 days.

OTHER

Haptic stimulation

According to the superiority or not of the Realization of Virtual Actions or the Observation of Virtual Actions, we will test the most effective condition of step 4 in combination with haptic stimulation (sensory feedback through vibrators positioned in the lower limbs to give a feeling of walking), once a day for 10 minutes for 9 days.

OTHER

Without haptic stimulation

Without haptic stimulation Depending on the superiority or not of the Realization of Virtual Actions or the Observation of Virtual Actions, we will test the most effective condition of Step 4 in combination without haptic stimulation (without sensory feedback through vibrators positioned in the lower limbs to give a feeling of walking), once a day for 10 minutes for 9 days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique

  collaborator OTHER

• Rennes University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-08-01

Primary Completion

2022-08-01

Completion

2023-08-01

Countries

• France

Study Locations