Around 95% of patients who used virtual reality (VR) during cardiac PET/CT imaging completed the ordered study, according to an abstract being presented at ACC Quality Summit 2026, taking place Sept. 16-18 in Orlando, FL.

Kaitlyn Amidon, BSN, RN, MBA, et al., evaluated 105 patients who used the VR distraction during cardiovascular imaging from July 2025 to March 2026 at UCHealth Southern Region in Colorado Springs, CO. All but four patients in the study reported some degree of claustrophobia. Patients with a history of seizures or undergoing an imaging study involving Fluorodeoxyglucose radiotracer were excluded.

Overall, 95% of patients successfully completed the ordered imaging study. The VR headset was well tolerated, with 80% of patients wearing the device for the entire duration of the procedure. More than 75% of patients reported a positive experience with the VR device. The most common physical discomfort was due to headset fit, and the most frequent technical error was a transient Wi-Fi-related error message.

VR intervention had a significant financial impact on the cardiac testing department. While the VR system cost an initial investment of $4,387 and a monthly fee of $168, each imaging study that was not cancelled or aborted saved approximately $3,000. This estimate was based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimbursement, supply expenses and staffing costs.

"Patient comfort cannot come at the expense of the clinical value of the examination," says Amidon. "Ultimately, the project demonstrates that a relatively simple, non-pharmacologic intervention can help address a patient-centered barrier to clinically valuable cardiac testing while preserving the image quality physicians need to guide cardiovascular care."

Additional topics being covered by this year's abstracts include:

• From Impact to Accreditation: A Scalable, Data-Driven Model For Community CV Outreach
• Trends in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among US Adults With Disability: Analysis of NHANES 1999-2018
• Beyond Discharge: Integrating Care Transitions and Health Equity to Sustain CV Recovery

Explore the full Quality Summit program schedule.

Clinical Topics: Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, Noninvasive Imaging, Interventions and Imaging, Computed Tomography, Nuclear Imaging

Keywords: Quality Summit, Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography, Patient Comfort, Virtual Reality, Patient-Centered Care