The first day a med student sets foot into the
Operation Theatre, the experience she has is unique. It cannot be compared to
anything else one comes across in day-to-day life. For some, the sight of blood
seems so scary, that just before fainting, they make a quick vow never to go
into a surgical specialty! While for some others the experience is exhilarating!
The soft
buzz of the surgeons and nurses speaking, the continuous beeping of machinery,
the intermittent high-pitched scolding from the nurses when they feel that there
are too many people inside the OT compromising sterility, the loud whooshing
sound of the suction pump and the occasional ‘peeeeee’ sound of the electro-cautery,
all sum up to form a beautiful musical composition- “the song of OT”.
At times, especially in case of surgeries that
occur under local anesthesia, this song is also mixed with songs from the radio.
The surgeons play their favorite stations on the radio while operating and at
times one might happen to catch them humming the tune, an indication that the surgery
is going really well. It is fun to watch
the surgeons asking patients not to concentrate on the pain but on the song in
case the patient happens to stir during operation (it doesn’t happen always
though, as the patients are mostly heavily sedated before surgery). It makes
one realize the beauty of music therapy- where one simple song comforts the
patient who is undergoing the operation, helps the surgeon to concentrate
better and calms the scared intern assisting the operation who is often scolded
for handing the wrong instrument to the surgeon. Also, for the med students,
who many a times do not understand what the hell is going on and are too scared
to ask, this same music is something to occupy their minds with.
There are different kinds of students who go
for surgical postings- some are nauseated by the blood (as I already
mentioned), some go just to click selfies wearing the OT scrub and are never
seen again after the first day. Some belong to the studious kind who understand
and explain procedures to their not-so-diligent classmates, ask a multitude of
questions to the surgeons and save others from the blow of the occasional unexpected
questions hurled at us by the professors. Lastly, some belong to the ‘well
camouflaged’ variety. The people of this last category are probably the most in
number during clinical postings- they neither ask nor answer questions, they listen
quietly, stand in a corner, and try to absorb whatever bits of information they
come across. If driven away by one surgeon, they simply move to the next OT
table. Their insignificance is almost to the point of invisibility and they just
enjoy it!
Operation theatre is a serious place, where one
swift move of a scalpel can save or end a patient’s life. So many of my readers
might be wondering, is it proper to speak of these things so lightly? Is it
okay to listen to music while performing a major surgery? For them, I would
say, the best decisions are always made with a calm mind, and mind cannot be calm
under a mountain of worries. If you ever enter an operation theatre, as
patient, nurse, surgeon or as a confused student, leave your bag of worries
outside with your shoes and clothes, and get ready to lose yourself in “the
song of OT”.
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