Dear Doctors: I’m having hand surgery next year to help with carpal tunnel. I’m not thrilled about anesthesia. I’ve been reading about surgeons whose patients use virtual reality headsets to need less anesthesia. Does that really work?
A: Anesthesia is a complex practice with multiple, sometimes conflicting objectives. The treatment must sedate the patient and suppress their pain response but not interfere with the body’s critical physiological functions, including heartbeat, breathing and maintaining steady blood pressure.
