Surgical songfest: The brain on music

Surgical Instruments?   (by Sara Guastevi)

Removing a brain tumor can be a delicate procedure, but not so delicate as to preclude musical accompaniment.

Astonishingly enough, that music has recently been provided by the patient himself.  Deborah Hastings of New York Daily News reports that Anthony Kulkamp Dias strummed his   guitar and sang everything from Beatles to country while undergoing brain surgery.

His right hand felt a “bit weaker, because that was the side they were operating on,” but Dias was otherwise satisfied with his performance.  The surgeons obviously were, too, since they asked Dias for an encore at one point.

So what's the rationale behind this surgical concert?  It turns out that “keeping brain surgery patients awake is a pioneering effort that allows physicians to speak to those they are operating on, and to chart their responses.”  This helps surgeons to pinpoint target areas.

And the pain?  The anesthetics must be given “at levels that make patients pain-free without rendering them unconscious.”

Resources

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/brazilian-man-sings-plays-guitar-brain-surgery-article-1.2246573

Copyright June 5, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved