Combining a virtual reality nature scene with classical music can lower blood pressure more effectively than standard medication alone in emergency room patients with dangerously high readings, according to a study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Paris.
The research, led by Safa Dönmez at the University of Health Sciences in Ankara, Turkey, recruited 130 adults who arrived at an emergency department with hypertensive urgency — a condition in which blood pressure spikes to levels that can damage the eyes, heart and brain. All participants received standard medication to bring their pressure down. Half were also given a VR headset showing a scene of the Columbia River in Canada flowing through a forest, paired with a soothing playlist of classical music from composers including Debussy, Bach and Mozart.
Before treatment, participants' arterial pressure averaged about 130 to 138 mmHg. Fifteen minutes after the intervention, those who received only medication saw a drop of roughly 12 mmHg, while those who also experienced the VR and music saw a reduction of about 16 mmHg. The difference, while modest in absolute terms, was clinically meaningful in the fast-paced emergency setting, according to outside experts.
«In an emergency department, even a relatively simple non-pharmacological intervention that helps patients feel calmer during the initial phase of care could be clinically valuable,» said Verónica Saldaña-Ortiz at the European University in Madrid, Spain.
The benefit appeared to fade over time. After 30 minutes, the gap between the two groups had narrowed, and by 60 minutes, blood pressure readings were roughly the same. Dönmez suggests the initial advantage may stem from the intervention's effect on anxiety, which is common among emergency patients and can trigger the release of stress hormones that tighten blood vessels and further raise blood pressure. Ratings on the State Anxiety Inventory showed a greater reduction in anxiety among those who received the VR and music experience.
«The results are consistent with a growing body of work that shows that even virtual nature can help reduce stress, including reductions in blood pressure, in stressful situations,» said Mathew White at the University of Exeter, UK. «Extending this approach to an emergency room setting seems like a wonderful idea, and hopefully results can be replicated and more widely implemented if confirmed.»
The study does not disentangle whether the effect came from the music, the virtual environment, or the combination of both, noted Saldaña-Ortiz. Dönmez said the team is planning larger studies with longer follow-up periods to separate these factors and to test whether allowing patients to choose their own music makes a difference.
Hypertensive urgency is common in intensive-care settings, and while medication remains the first line of defense, relaxation approaches such as viewing aquarium scenes or listening to classical music have shown promise in earlier research. The new findings add to a growing interest in low-cost, non-pharmacological tools that can be deployed quickly in high-stress clinical environments.
The research was presented at a medical congress and has not yet undergone peer review for journal publication, a standard step before clinical adoption. Still, the results point to a potentially simple and scalable way to improve patient comfort and early blood pressure control in emergency care.