Today, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Coronary angiography (CAG), a commonly used invasive procedure for diagnosing coronary artery disease, may trigger fear, stress, and anxiety in patients due to its invasive nature, lack of information, uncertainty, and the possibility of receiving a life-threatening diagnosis.These emotional responses activate stress mechanisms, leading to catecholamine release, increased heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, sweating, and muscle tension. Elevated stress can also cause lactic acid accumulation, increased oxygen demand, and muscular contraction, potentially resulting in coronary artery spasms or arrhythmias, and increasing procedural risks. Therefore, reducing stress before CAG is crucial to improving procedural outcomes and patient recovery.
To address preoperative anxiety and stress, both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions are used. Among the non-pharmacologic options, virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an effective method to distract and calm patients, reducing anxiety, stress, and pain. Studies in various patient populations suggest VR glasses can be beneficial in managing psychological distress. However, no study has been found in the literature evaluating the effect of VR on stress-induced muscle tension in patients undergoing CAG. This gap highlights the potential contribution of this study to current knowledge.
This study aims to investigate the effect of using VR glasses before coronary angiography on patients' stress levels, muscle tension, and selected physiological parameters.