Virtual Reality for Recovery After Intensive Care (PICS)

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if virtual reality (VR) helps improve thinking and memory skills in adults who have stayed in the intensive care unit (ICU). The study focuses on people who needed a breathing machine or stayed in the ICU for several days and are at risk for memory or "brain fog" issues.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does using VR improve a participant's memory, attention, and thinking skills after an ICU stay?
* Does the "immersive" feel of a VR headset work better to improve these skills than using a handheld tablet?

Researchers will compare three groups to see how different types of care affect the brain:

* VR-Rehab: Participants use a VR headset to play brain-training games.
* Tablet-Rehab: Participants use a handheld tablet to play the same brain-training games.
* Standard Care: Participants receive the usual hospital care without digital brain games.

Participants will:

* Play brain-training games for 12 minutes every day for up to one week while in the hospital.
* Complete memory and thinking tests with a researcher at the start of the study and again after two weeks.
* Answer follow-up questions about their memory and thinking skills for 6 months after leaving the hospital.

Conditions

• Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)
• Critical Illness Recovery
• Rehabilitation After Critical Illness
• Rehabilitation Exercise of ICU Patients
• Cognitive Impairment
• Critical Illness
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Interventions

DEVICE

Immersive VR Multi-Domain Rehabilitation

A bedside multi-domain rehabilitation program using a head-mounted display. Participants perform 6 gamified tasks targeting both cognitive domains (information processing, attention, memory) and motor domains (motor control, dexterity, and bimanual coordination). The protocol consists of daily 12-minute sessions for a maximum of 7 days.

DEVICE

Tablet-Based Multi-Domain Training

A bedside rehabilitation program delivered via a handheld tablet. Participants perform 2D versions of the same 6 tasks used in the VR arm, targeting the same cognitive and motor skills. The protocol consists of daily 12-minute sessions for a maximum of 7 days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidade do Porto

  collaborator OTHER

• INESC TEC Porto

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Virtuleap

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centro Hospitalar De São João, E.P.E.

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Minho

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• João Ferreira-Coimbra, MD · Centro Hospitalar De São João, E.P.E.

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-06

Primary Completion

2026-05-31

Completion

2026-06-30

Countries

• Portugal

Study Locations