Virtual Reality for Reducing Anxiety in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery

Inclusion Criteria: * Children aged 7 to 12 years. * Scheduled for minor orthopedic surgery with a duration of less than 60 minutes. * Eligible for regional anesthesia. * Able to understand and cooperate with the study procedures. * Consent from both the child and their parent or legal guardian. Exclusion Criteria: * Facial trauma that prevents the use of VR headsets. * Blindness or significant visual impairment. * Deafness or significant hearing impairment. * Cognitive impairments or intellectual disabilities. * Inability to understand the language used in the VR content. * Poor fit of the VR headset on the child's face. * Inability to understand Italian. * Current use of analgesics or sedatives at home. * Certified psychiatric diagnosis. * Epilepsy or history of seizures. * Recent head trauma, severe headaches, or vertigo. * Any condition deemed by the anesthesiologist to be unsafe for VR use. * Failure to properly apply topical anesthetics before invasive procedures. * Allergy to local anesthetics. * Surgery duration expected to exceed 60 minutes. * Anticipated need for general anesthesia or deep sedation requiring advanced airway management. * Predicted difficult venous access (DIVA)