In a first for Canadian medicine, doctors at one Calgary hospital say that virtual reality technology is doing wonders for patients suffering from traumatic wounds.

Graydon Cuthbertson, who was admitted to hospital in early July, had to have immediate surgery on his legs to prevent damage caused by compartment syndrome, a condition where increased pressure in areas of the body prevent proper blood flow.

“I had emergency surgery where they cut two big incisions on [each of] my legs,” he said.

After about two weeks of bed rest, Cuthbertson went into surgery again where doctors attempted to close up the wounds but they were only successful with two of them.

A short time later, when he was getting his dressings changed on two remaining wounds, Cuthbertson said he went into shock from the pain as the nurse tried to remove mesh on the incisions.

“I had to take more painkillers, so I was really sedated and then I went down to wound care for the next dressing change. When I went down there and they knew of what happened, then I tried the VR.”

He says the addition of the technology made it so much easier to handle the procedure.

Officials say that virtual reality, using one of two Samsung Gear headsets funded through an anonymous donor, transports patients right out of the hospital room and into one of several immersive, three-dimensional environments.

They include a lakeside campground, a prehistoric landscape complete with dinosaurs or an ocean where users can swim with dolphins.

Cuthbertson says he was able to easily handle the pain of the dressing change with just his regular painkillers through the use of the virtual reality.

“It totally took down the stress and the anxiety of going through it. Also, it went by really fast.”

He says the environments really help to take him away from the situation.

“You’re sitting in a chair and you’re on a lake and it starts out with kind of a morning scene and then you go through. Butterflies are flying around, there’s a lake beside you, you’re in the mountains and there’s deer popping up from all around.”

He says that while he can still feel the pulling at his legs, the VR scenario gives him a place to focus his attention to help block out the pain.

The virtual reality program was initially introduced during a pilot program at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Jaclyn Frank, wound care physiotherapist at Rockyview Hospital, says there has been a 75 percent reduction in pain and anxiety in patients who have used the VR headset during procedures.

She says that the testing has now gone beyond wound care at the hospital.

“We have the one headset dedicated for wound care and there is another headset that ICU has started to use in their department as well.”

Rockyview General is the first hospital in Canada to employ the use of virtual reality for patients. Results from the study will be shared with other AHS sites to determine how it could benefit patients province-wide.