Effect of virtual reality-based cardiac rehabilitation on mental health and cardiopulmonary function of patients with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR)- based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on the mental health and cardiorespiratory function of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Data sources: The search strategy was conducted in five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases) from inception to July 2024.

Study selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effectiveness of standard CR and VR-based CR for CVD patients were independently selected by multiple reviewers.

Data extraction: Data were extracted independently by two authors. In case of disagreement, a third author was consulted for resolution.

Data synthesis: Thirteen studies involving 955 CVD patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that VR-based CR reduced anxiety levels [SMD = -0.28 (95%CI [-0.51, -0.05], P = 0.020)] and depression symptoms [SMD = -0.28 (95%CI [-0.53, -0.02], P = 0.030)] in CVD patients compared to standard CR. However, no significant difference was observed in VO₂ peak [SMD = 0.01 (95% CI [-0.14, 0.16], P = 0.920)] between standard CR and VR-based CR.

Conclusions: VR-based CR significantly improved anxiety and depression symptoms in CVD patients compared with standard CR. However, there was no significant difference between standard CR and VR-based CR in improving cardiorespiratory function in CVD patients.