Virtual reality heart failure pod goes on tour

Doctors in the US are being given the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a patient with congestive heart failure, thanks to a mobile virtual reality unit.

The Heart FX Pod, developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and marketing firm The RJO Group, invites clinicians to sit in a booth and don a pneumatic vest.

They then walk on pedals through a projected park landscape, which become progressively more difficult to operate. Meanwhile, the vest begins to tighten and the specially adapted chair starts to thump to simulate a struggling heart.

Dr Robin Germany, a clinician at the University of Oklahoma Medical Centre who tried the five-minute simulation, told local TV station KTEN News: "You become very short of breath, you can’t take a deep breath at all. It’s very difficult to even put one foot in front of the other by the end of the experience."

Joanne Curley, cardiovascular product manager at AstraZeneca, told New Scientist Magazine that the device was intended to encourage earlier diagnosis of heart failure by allowing clinicians to empathise with their patients. "Cardiologists often feel like they know everything," said Curley. "But what can happen is that they stop seeing their patients as people."

While doctors are straining to walk, they listen to a patient called Hank telling his story, who trivialises his symptoms. Curley said one reason why heart failure is often undiagnosed is because many patients do not think the difficulties important.

The RJO Group have also developed other immersive systems for clinicians, including gloves that simulate rheumatoid arthritis and another VR system that demonstrates fatigue caused by cancer-related anaemia.

Rick Grande of the RJO Group said that the results of whether these systems result in greater numbers of prescriptions for their clients’ drugs were kept "very close…. but we do know that this has quite an effect on sales and awareness." New Scientist says that results for patient care have not yet been investigated.

The device is in the middle of its tour across hospitals and medical centres across the US. Doctors wishing to try it can book a session on the heartfxpod.com website.