VR Game Developed in Russia to Help Children Recover After Heart Surgery

Researchers in Russia’s Kemerovo region have developed a VR game to help children recover after cardiac surgery. The digital system supports the rehabilitation of young patients by training memory, speech, and attention through immersive quests set in a virtual pine forest. The project was reported by TASS, citing the press service of the Research Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases in Kemerovo.

Cognition Matters Too

According to project leader Alexandra Rumyantseva, the cognitive condition of children with congenital heart defects has long received limited attention. A comparison of cognitive abilities between healthy schoolchildren and patients who had undergone heart surgery revealed a significant gap. This finding prompted the team to develop a new approach that takes into account the impact of both the disease itself and surgical intervention on cognitive functions.

Specialists created a unique VR game aimed at restoring memory, attention, and speech. The virtual pine forest, familiar to children from views outside hospital windows, helps them feel calmer. The age-adapted quest tasks were developed jointly with psychologists, educators, and IT specialists from Kemerovo State University.

The development has already proven effective. Researchers are now preparing a mobile application that will allow children to continue their rehabilitation in an online game format after being discharged from hospital, making outpatient rehabilitation more accessible.

The work of the Kuzbass-based team has already received international recognition, with research results published in 13 scientific papers in leading journals.

Earlier, a unique robotic system called Krisaf was launched at the Kemerovo Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital. The technology is designed to open a new chapter in rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy and the aftereffects of injuries.