Carotid Body Tumour is a rare and complex tumour, given that it sits and grows on the carotid artery, the main blood vessel that connects the heart with the brain. Typically, we dissect this elusive tumour under magnification, where even a submillimetre injury can prove fatal. As a surgeon, one’s entire attention needs to be focused on this highly intricate and extremely infinitesimal dissection along the subadventitial plane known as the “White Line” of Gordon-Taylor, thereby treating the tumor without injuring blood vessel skin.
In the course of one such Carotid Body Tumour dissection, a small disruption happened in our operating theatre (OT). It so happened that an OT technician instinctively switched on some music while we were underway a critical step. Now, music in the OT is a known phenomenon, and many surgeons prefer listening to music while they operate. But in this case, one of my assistant surgeons was terribly distracted at this sudden intrusion and gave the technician a piece of his mind. Having seen my colleague lose his composure in the midst of a critical step, I paused for a second and told him, “If you were truly immersed in the job at hand, you would not have heard the music in the first place.”
This incident made me ponder deep on the crucial aspect of meditation that a surgery intrinsically demands. I believe surgery calls for a Zen state of mind which helps you immerse yourself in the surgical act with exceptional mindfulness, oblivious of everything else. The very fact that a surgeon is prone to distraction implies that he or she is found short of what the surgery demands. The music in the mind should keep every other music at bay.
Having said that, that experience got me intrigued about the larger truths of the high-precision, high-stress job that surgery is and how music can play a pivotal role to make life for the surgeon easier by minimising the stress and strain of his or her job.
I recall the incisive quote of Sharangdeva in his magnum opus “Sangeet Ratnakara” where he astutely observes: (“Music is also a means”). In the context of surgery, it could be a means to achieve a blend between healing and spiritual enlightenment. Music has a therapeutic effect in that it lowers heart rate and blood pressure, thereby lowering the fatigue of intricate surgical procedures for the surgeons and support staff.
No wonder, a study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” observed that surgeons who listened to music of their choice became more efficient and accurate performing mundane repetitive tasks which are otherwise prone to distraction and loss of focus as a direct consequence of the monotony. Another survey by Spotify found that classical music was the most preferred genre among surgeons, with rock and pop coming second and third in the pecking order. Interestingly, 90% of surgeons were avid music listeners across different genres.
Even for patients, music in the OT room can take away the rigour of the overwhelming surgical environment, more so in conditions of local or regional anaesthesia. The reduced anxiety is known to expedite the recovery process, as also minimise postoperative pain and need for medication. Why? Because music is nothing but a vibration which deeply pierces our energy frequencies. Thanks to the instant resonance, music promotes the balance and free flow of our body’s energy centres. Music is also known to stimulate the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin which enhance our notion of well-being.
In fact, there can’t be a more natural fit than music, a complementary therapy in itself, to complement the healing that takes place within the four walls of an OT. The harmony between music and surgery is not talked about much given the muddled notions that define both worlds.
Music is conventionally seen as only a form of entertainment but in actuality, it is a sanctified mechanism to promote healing and spiritual growth. Music has the power to induce a meditative state, which helps us unlock deeper levels of consciousness, thereby achieve a transcendental transformation away from the commonplace realities into the realm of spirituality.
As we become one with the resonating melodies and rhythms, we initiate the process of healing across all levels of our being. It is not difficult to comprehend why the great poet and philosopher, H.W. Longfellow said what he said about music: “Music is the universal language of mankind—nowhere do they speak it more fluently than here. It is the great harmonizer, the sweet concordant melody that enters into all the creeds and religions, softening down all asperities, melting the most obdurate hearts, and bringing all into one accord.”
Dr Vishal Rao is a surgical oncologist and robotic surgeon.