Under the harsh lights of an operating theatre in the Indian capital, Delhi, a woman lies motionless as surgeons prepare to remove her gallbladder. She is under general anaesthesia: unconscious, insensate and rendered completely still by a blend of drugs that induce deep sleep, block memory, blunt pain and temporarily paralyse her muscles.
Yet, amid the hum of monitors and the steady rhythm of the surgical team, a gentle stream of flute music plays through the headphones placed over her ears. Even as the drugs silence much of her brain, its auditory pathway remains partly active. When she wakes up, she will regain consciousness more quickly and clearly because she required lower doses of anaesthetic drugs such as propofol and opioid painkillers than patients who heard no music.
That, at least, is what a new peer-reviewed study from Delhi's Maulana Azad Medical College suggests. The research, published in the journal Music and Medicine, offers some of the strongest evidence yet that music played during general anaesthesia can modestly but meaningfully reduce drug requirements and improve recovery.
The study focuses on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the standard keyhole operation to remove the gallbladder. The procedure is short - usually under an hour - and demands a particularly swift, 'clear-headed' recovery.
To achieve that, a carefully balanced mix of five or six drugs is employed to keep the patient asleep, block pain, prevent memory of the surgery, and relax the muscles. Dr. Farah Husain, a senior specialist in anaesthesia and certified music therapist for the study, emphasized that with better pain management, the stress response is curtailed.
The results of the study were striking; patients exposed to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl. They experienced smoother recoveries, lower cortisol levels, and better control of blood pressure during the surgery. This suggests music could quieten the internal stress response that typically complicates recovery.
With researchers continuing to explore the effects of music on the unconscious mind during surgery, this groundbreaking intervention could reshape the surgical experience for countless patients, marking a shift towards incorporating holistic approaches in a traditionally sterile environment.
Yet, amid the hum of monitors and the steady rhythm of the surgical team, a gentle stream of flute music plays through the headphones placed over her ears. Even as the drugs silence much of her brain, its auditory pathway remains partly active. When she wakes up, she will regain consciousness more quickly and clearly because she required lower doses of anaesthetic drugs such as propofol and opioid painkillers than patients who heard no music.
That, at least, is what a new peer-reviewed study from Delhi's Maulana Azad Medical College suggests. The research, published in the journal Music and Medicine, offers some of the strongest evidence yet that music played during general anaesthesia can modestly but meaningfully reduce drug requirements and improve recovery.
The study focuses on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the standard keyhole operation to remove the gallbladder. The procedure is short - usually under an hour - and demands a particularly swift, 'clear-headed' recovery.
To achieve that, a carefully balanced mix of five or six drugs is employed to keep the patient asleep, block pain, prevent memory of the surgery, and relax the muscles. Dr. Farah Husain, a senior specialist in anaesthesia and certified music therapist for the study, emphasized that with better pain management, the stress response is curtailed.
The results of the study were striking; patients exposed to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl. They experienced smoother recoveries, lower cortisol levels, and better control of blood pressure during the surgery. This suggests music could quieten the internal stress response that typically complicates recovery.
With researchers continuing to explore the effects of music on the unconscious mind during surgery, this groundbreaking intervention could reshape the surgical experience for countless patients, marking a shift towards incorporating holistic approaches in a traditionally sterile environment.
