NCT04931745Completed
Virtual Reality for Port-a-Cath Access
Virtual Reality for Procedural Distress in Children Undergoing Port-a-Cath Access: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 12 Mar 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Children with cancer almost universally receive port-a-catheters (ports) to deliver medication, fluids, blood products, and conduct blood tests. Port access requires a needle inserted through the skin to the subcutaneous tissue. Despite the application of topical anesthetic, port access can be painful and anxiety producing. Virtual reality (VR) interfaces provide a strategy to reduce anxiety and have been employed in other painful procedures in children. This trial will explore the effectiveness of VR in children undergoing port access.
- Status (registry)
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 84 (actual)
- First submitted
- 14 May 2021
- Start date
- 26 Apr 2022
- Primary completion date
- 1 Sept 2025
- Lead sponsor
- London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
- Diseases
- Childhood cancers
- NCT number
- NCT04931745
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Participants enrolled: 84
- From 26 Apr 2022 to the primary completion date, 1 Sept 2025
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Subjective history of concurrent respiratory infection (defined as cough, sore throat, fever, coryza, or sneezing within the past 24 hours) or gastrointestinal infection (defined as any vomiting or diarrhea within past 24 hours)
- Previous enrollment in study
Other illness
- Subjective history of claustrophobia Requires timely antimicrobial therapy
- Visual, auditory, or cognitive impairment or language barrier precluding comprehension of study-related tasks or safe interaction with VR
- Medical record documentation of current MRSA infection
- Seizure disorder
- History of vertigo or neurological disorder that creates moderate to severe dizziness.
Other
- Subjective report of motion sickness within past 12 months (excluding anticipatory nausea a child may experience en route to their medical appointment)
Who the study is looking for
- Children age 5 to 17 years of age who are undergoing port-a-cath access
- Pre-intervention Children's Fear Scale score of at least 1 with respect to the impending port-a-cath access
Age in the registry: 5 years to 17 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Health Sciences Centre Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | London | Canada | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.