CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02661230VRICUGAMINGUpdated Feb 17, 2017

Virtual Reality Exercise on the Intensive Care Unit in Heart Patients

An interventional study of COGNIPLUS in Motor Activity, sponsored by University of Zurich. Completed at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-02-17.

Sponsored by University of Zurich · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This project proposes the development and design of a motor intervention using a cognitive video game and describes the feasibility, safety and acceptability of virtual augmented video gaming device named Virtual Reality on the Intensive Care Unit (VRICU). The project in two phases is performed in healthy participants (Phase 1) and heart patients after elective heart surgery on the Intensive Care Unit (Phase 2).

Furthermore, brain function will be measured during exer-gaming with the VRICU device with non-invasive instruments (fNIRS/EEG) in both the healthy participants and the heart patients.

The VRICU device is a patient friendly construction to allow a patient exergaming in bed. The project is a cooperation between scientist at the USZ (physiotherapist / anaesthsiologists / engineers), human movement scientist at the ETHZ and (poly- / electro-) mechanics at the Paul Scherrer Institut.

Read the detailed description

There is converging evidence at systems levels that physical exercise participation is beneficial to cognition, especially to the different subtypes of attention. Such evidence highlights the importance of promoting physical exercise to prevent or reverse cognitive and neural decline. Accordingly, physical exercise can serve to promote function in patients. Physical exercise games may be engaged to gauge performance increases in motor learning and early rehabilitation programs as performed on an intensive care unit.

This project proposes the development and design of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game (which will be performed in supine position in bed) to enhance brain activity and describes the feasibility, safety and acceptability of virtual augmented video dance gaming.

This project is divided in two (2) phases:

Phase1 The patients are not expected to exercise the video game in the usual standing position due to their condition. Thus, we designed a patient friendly construction with colleagues of the construction department of the Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen, Switzerland), which enables video game exercising in supine position. This construction and custom video game will be tested first in healthy participants for feasibility, acceptability and safety. Furthermore, brain activity of the participants will be measured and evaluated, before during and shortly after playing the video game in 15 healthy participants.

Phase 2 After the device and procedures tested in phase 1 is feasible, acceptable and safe, maximal 10 patients on the ICU ward (receiving elective heart surgery, will be recruited to evaluate the feasibility, safety, acceptability and effect on brain function of a custom video exercise game.

The aims of this study are:

Phase 1 Objective To determine the feasibility, safety acceptability and effect of brain function of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game in healthy participants.

Phase 2 Objectives To determine the feasibility, safety and acceptability (if possible) of a cognitive motor intervention using a custom video game at the Intensive Care Unit.

Evaluation of brain functions before, during and after exercising using a video game.

02

Conditions studied

  • Motor Activity

Keywords

  • exergaming
  • intensive care unit
  • feasibility acceptability
  • heart
  • brain function
03

In context

Lead sponsor

University of Zurich is the lead sponsor of 1,030 studies on the registry; 130 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Phase 1

Healthy participants

  • 18 years or older of age.
  • In good health and not under treatment of a physician

Phase 2

Patient on the intensive care unit. Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patients (>18 years).
  • Signed informed consent by patient.
  • Patient awake and close to full cooperation needed to Participate actively in the experimental intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

Phase 1

  • No exclusion criteria

Phase 2

Exclusion criteria for the patients are:

  • Known epilepsy
  • Inability to obtain consent
  • known or suspected non-compliance
  • raised intracranial pressure
  • participation in conflicting study
  • known dementia
  • absence of a limb
  • Sepsis
  • Incapable of discernment -
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    COGNIPLUS

    Exercise-Gaming

    Device: COGNIPLUS

Interventions

  • DeviceCOGNIPLUS

    Run 1 Video game: Phasic Alertness (Alert S1) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 2 Video game: Intrinsic Alertness (Alert S2) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 3 Video game: Visual modality (Select S1) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest. Run 4 Video game: Acoustic / Stimulus Combinations (Select S2) Instruction phase 2 minutes, 2 x 3 minutes of rest, followed by 5 x 60 sec of video game activity, alternating with 60 sec of rest.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility & usibility 1

    Intensity: Level of gameplay

    Time frame: Healthy participants 120 minutes, patients: dependent on physical ability

  2. Feasibility & usibility 2 Feasibility & Usibility 2

    Accuracy: Percentage

    Time frame: Healthy participants 120 minutes, patients: dependent on physical ability

  3. Feasibility & usibility 3

    Time: Minutes

    Time frame: Healthy participants 120 minutes, patients: dependent on physical ability

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety parameters & adverse effects of the VRICU device

    Assessment of (Serious) Adverse Events and Other Safety Related Events An unexpected SAE refers to any AE, the nature or severity of which is not consistent with the applicable product information, namely please specify for unapproved investigational medicinal products the current Investigator's Brochure and the approved instructions for devices with CE-marking. The investigator will promptly review documented AEs and abnormal test findings to determine * if the abnormal test finding should be classified as an AE, * if there is a reasonable possibility that the AE was caused by the investigational device or study treatment(s), and * if the AE meets the criteria for an SAE.

    Time frame: Minimal 1 up to 30 Minutes (if applicable)

  2. MOSRAM Questionnaire

    Participant \& Patient satisfactory questionnaire concerning use off technical devices and software.

    Time frame: 10 minutes

  3. functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

    fNirs outcome of frontal lobe measured in SP02%; Baseline during gameplay and during recuperation of exercise gameplay

    Time frame: healthy participants 90 minutes, patients: dependent on physical ability

  4. EEG

    EEG outcome of frontal lobe during exerciseplay and recupperation measured in milliseconds

    Time frame: healthy participants 90 minutes, patients: dependent on physical ability

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Dr. Jaap Swanenburg
    Zurich, 8091, Switzerland
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 17, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02661230
Lead sponsor
University of Zurich
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 22, 2016
Start date
Mar 2015
Primary completion
Dec 2016
Completion
Feb 2017
Last update
Feb 17, 2017

Study contacts

Ruud Knols, Dr.
principal investigator · University of Zurich

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion