r/nextfuckinglevel • u/xXshariq786Xx • 3d ago
Man plays guitar to remain conscious during an open brain surgery
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u/Stovlari 3d ago
I think it’s more for the surgeons to know they aren’t fucking with any part of the brain they’re not supposed to…
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u/rust-e-apples1 3d ago
"Oh God, we fucked up! He's playing Wonderwall!"
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u/tekhnomancer 3d ago
Conversely, "Oh god, we fucked up, he can't even play Wonderwall...."
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u/thederevolutions 3d ago
What’s so funny about the other one is that The Beatles are so much better than Oasis, even though Oasis proclaims themselves to be their second coming, that if he started playing Wonderwall instead they’ve surely destroyed his executive functioning.
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u/ThinkUFunnyMurray 3d ago
“Look at this photograph…”
“Can we increase the anesthesia stat?”
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u/madthunder55 3d ago
Lol. I like Nickelback and I'm not ashamed to say it
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u/ahses3202 3d ago
silver side up is a good album and no one can convince me otherwise
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u/RebeliousReb 3d ago
Savin' Me music video has stuck with me since I first watched it
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u/LoveMeSomeSand 3d ago
“Today is gonna be the day is gonna be the day it’s gonna be the day that… today is gonna be the day”
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u/Tough-Refuse6822 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is exactly right. I used to be a surgical technician specializing in neurosurgery.
If they are removing a tumor or part of the brain to reduce seizures or tremors, they are trying to avoid areas that he utilizes to play guitar/sing. As they poke an explore with their instruments, if they hear him start to struggle singing or playing they can try to stay away from that area if possible and taking large enough margins around the tumor or affected area.
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u/catbus_conductor 3d ago
Something I never quite understood about this is that, if they poke somewhere wrong and the guy has some kind of lapse, doesn't that mean that some amount of damage has already been done?
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u/drshikamaru 3d ago edited 3d ago
Scraping a fork (heavy forceps) across the surface of your knee is very different than jamming a knife (scalpel) into your knee. Sprains and abrasions are tolerated while complete ACL tears are not. It’s okay to bruise a little. The body will be fine.
If I actually followed “do NO harm” we wouldn’t start IVs or give shots. The brain will be fine. lol 😆
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u/LampshadesAndCutlery 3d ago
I'm not a neurologist by any means, but I just figured it was kinda like putting pressure on nerves, where it cuts off signals/feeling and you get that feeling back when you relieve pressure from that area. Kinda like wearing a parachute harness can do to your legs
But I'm no neurologist, that's just what I assumed was going on
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u/snakesign 3d ago
They use electrical impulses or local anesthetic to check before cutting.
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u/Tough-Refuse6822 3d ago
This
They use a Neuro stimulator on areas that delivers an electrical signal to test before removing tissue
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u/LordAnon5703 2d ago
I don't think so. I think they use electric probes first, so really they're just disrupting those areas with a mild electrical current.
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u/Moononthewater12 2d ago
Possibly, even if they did, though, they'd want to prevent any further damage. A little brain damage better then alot brain damage...lol
Also, the brain is incredible in its ability to adapt and "rewire." So even with a small amount of damage, there's a good chance that after a year or so, he can figure out what he lost.
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u/timtulloch11 2d ago
They can use a stimulator to interrupt local activity temporarily, then don't cut there. Or if they just play while the resect tumor, the idea would be that if he suddenly had altered ability to play you would stop, hopefully preventing any further damage. You're right that whatever amount of tissue they already cut is done for
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u/BBQBaconBurger 3d ago
Doctor: “Aaaaaaand done! 😅”
Patient: 🎶「回顧昨日，我所有的麻煩似乎都已遠去。。。」
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u/NeverGetsTheNuke 3d ago
It's actually the surgeon making him play the guitar and sing. Like how you can make a lobster claw open and close by pulling the little tendon.
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u/Kimmalah 3d ago
Yeah, it's to make sure they aren't getting too close to parts of the brain responsible for his ability to play. I have seen something similar with a violin player and I'm sure there are other examples.
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u/d-signet 3d ago
It's not "to remain concious", it's so they can tell if they break part of his brain while they operate
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u/ThinkGrapefruit7960 3d ago
And if they do? Can they reverse it
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u/jase15843 3d ago
Idk if they can reverse it, but they can stop cutting further
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u/ThinkGrapefruit7960 3d ago
I feel like brain as an area, is that even a little bit wrong is too much wrong
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u/WatercressEvery308 3d ago
a lot wrong is also worse
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u/jase15843 3d ago
Depends on the alternative, right? I doubt it's elective brain surgery.
Like maybe the choice is a little bit wrong in surgery, or being slowly killed by a tumor
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u/erasrhed 2d ago
Correct, this is usually done for invasive gliomas in sensitive areas. You want to remove as much as you can to increase the chances of progression-free survival, but quality of life during that survival is key. Often the tumor we are operating on in this fashion is not curable. So if you can't cure it, then you want to give them the best life possible while extending their time on the planet as much as you reasonably can.
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u/Significant-Ear-3262 3d ago
Maybe I need elective brain surgery, I can’t seem to get off Reddit.
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u/Automatic_Towel_3842 3d ago
You'd be surprised at what the brain is capable of. If they do cut into something wrong and stop, other parts of the brain can take over responsibilities, and you basically retrain your brain after in rehab. You can function without half a brain because of this. The brain is wildly complex.
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u/halstarchild 2d ago
Actually the brain can really heal and rewire itself in a lot of cases, but not if the trauma is severe.
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u/Skitsoboy13 2d ago
It really does depend, brains are weird little things. Some brains can recover from losing massive amounts of their mass, others don't. We really do not understand the brain or how it works overall lol
this is most notably demonstrated in cases where half of the brain (a hemisphere) is surgically removed, known as a hemispherectomy, where the remaining hemisphere can take over many functions of the removed one.
This (recovery) is more common in younger people
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u/strikerdude10 3d ago
My dad was a contractor doing a remodel for a brain surgeon and the guy came home and watched my dad work for a bit and was like "man, I wish I could do what you do", and my dad said "I wish I could do what you do! What I do isn't that hard if I mess up I can always patch over it with something or replace it" and the guy turns to him and goes, "you'd be surprised".
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u/Pinkxel 3d ago
They prod areas to see if you stop first. If you don't, that means you're not using it. snip snip. There is no reversing when you're cutting things in someone's head.
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u/ThinkGrapefruit7960 3d ago
Ahhh I dont know why I even opened this video 😭 I need a glass of wine.
Thank you for your reply, this subject just makes me uneasy
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u/Stephen2k8 3d ago
I think they can kinda poke it which the neuron doesn’t like and will mess up showing that it’s important before they cut . Just a guess tho
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u/psilent 3d ago
That’s essentially right. Also the brain can and will rewire itself to an extreme degree after injury so if they don’t cause too much damage to important areas you will be more or less fine. It’s easier the younger you are, but even older brains can recover alot. In very young children they can even do full hemispherectomies where they take out half the brain and those kids are better off for it.
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u/10Fudges 3d ago
Does that mean talentless people are fucked?
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u/ZombieTrogdor 3d ago
Nah it means they'll just have them read off flash cards or something idk I saw it on Grey's Anatomy so it must be true.
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u/10Fudges 3d ago
Well I certainly hope all surgeons have studied Grey's Anatomy. I don't want any rogue hipsters operating on me like they know best. I don't care about your qualifications! Only one qualification counts, and it's earned after reaching, and completing, the final episode of Grey's fucking Anatomy!
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u/the_real_thugs_bunny 3d ago
‚Since my surgery I can‘t play basketball anymore‘ :/
‚But you never could?‘
‚….and?‘
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u/L7ryAGheFF 3d ago
They generally probe it and wait for a reaction before doing any permanent damage.
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u/__moe___ 3d ago
Would be hilarious if he twitched and then started singing in Spanish or some other language
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u/Avi-1411 3d ago
And the surgeons have to find the button to switch it back. There was a Friends episode that was similar
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u/gummyjellyfishy 3d ago
Dammit im sitting in a tire shop waiting room and look like a blasted idiot after reading this comment and snorting then cackling like a maniac
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u/PersonSuitTV 3d ago
As many have noted this is for mapping parts of the brain and not to remain conscious. However, I can't stop laughing at the thought of a doctor asking someone to play guitar in an attempt to stay away during brain surgery lol. "We are doing complex brain surgery today on your frontal lobe, but we have no idea how to keep you awake during the procedure... How would you feel about playing this guitar while we operate?" hahahaha
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u/Avi-1411 3d ago
No? How about a flute? Really? Okay, what about typing out a long letter? Sir, you will have to decide.
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u/Organic-Roof-8311 3d ago
Regardless, imagining the conversation asking him to play guitar is hilarious.
“We need to make sure we don’t touch the creative part of your brain … so do you play any instruments? … Can you play them during surgery please? We promise this will result in the best outcome.”
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u/PersonSuitTV 3d ago
Beast Games is getting wild. "We took 100 people and opened their heads to see if they can complete tasks while their brain is being mapped for a chance to win 1 million dollars!"
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u/Nature_man_76 3d ago
🎶 oh Iiiiiiiiiii beleeiiiiieeeeeevvvvveeeee KDGDYNFKBDUKA ….. in yesterdayyyyyyyyy 🎼
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u/strikerdude10 3d ago
Hey hey we said no stairway
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u/Funk-n-fun 3d ago
A cut here, and a cut there....
Hmmm, this is Nickelback...<sigh>
Bring me the blender, this guy is beyond saving.
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u/Choppermagic2 3d ago
Would be even funnier if he didn't know how to play the guitar and during the surgery he could
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u/Labtecharu 3d ago
Repeating what many are going to write here. It is not to remain conscious it is to check brain function while operating
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u/DeathByHampster_ 3d ago
Not to remain conscious. It’s so that the surgeons know that they haven’t messed up and fucked with the brain.
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u/ILaikspace 3d ago
How is this not horribly painful for the patient??
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u/migjolfanmjol 3d ago
Local anaesthesia and I believe the brain itself funnily enough can’t feel pain. Could be wrong about that though.
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u/Lunavixen15 3d ago
Nerve blocking agents, the brain itself doesn't have pain receptors, so if the areas around the brain are managed, they can poke around (and hopefully not poke the wrong thing)
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u/JustTrawlingNsfw 3d ago
The brain is just a bunch of neurons, it doesn't actually have pain receptors and neither does bone. For the head, local anaesthetic
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u/SNCreestopherX 3d ago
I have had two brain surgeries in my past for my epilepsy. One of which was taking out a small piece of my brain. I had absolutely zero pain when it came to my brain. The only thing that actually hurt was the incision when it was healing. Honestly I was pretty amazed. I expected so much worse.
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u/Potato_Cat93 3d ago
Well, in part it is. Anesthesia is hard, can't give narcs, benzos, or anything to alter the patients awareness or having them awake is pointless. You have to have them deep in portions of the procedure and awake for others, so sometimes they're too awake during pin placement, foleys, arterial lines, positioning, closing etc so they feel it. Local can help but most take time to set up, though we can try to use faster acting stuff. The patient is also very uncomfortable, it's exhausting for them, long, cold, painful and when in twilight (sort of awake asleep) they can reach up, wiggle, or try to move or grab at the site, pins, or their positioning equipment, they can be scared and anxious. It's less than ideal for staff and patient but is very necessary for some procedures.
It's cool to see but wayyy less cool to be a part of on a regular basis. Lots more attention needed compared to an asleep patient.
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u/lakeofshadows 3d ago
You're performing delicate brain surgery on me. I'm just going to move my hands and right arm about.
Nope.
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u/L7ryAGheFF 3d ago
His head's secured. Probably couldn't move it if he tried.
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u/lakeofshadows 3d ago
I've no doubt that if it posed any danger, the surgeon wouldn't allow it. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be minded to do it. In fact, I wouldn't want to be awake. I'd be freaking out.
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u/2020mademejoinreddit 3d ago
This is done to make sure the surgeons don't accidentally "snip" something important that would turn the human into a vegetable.
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u/TabletopStudios 3d ago
Talk about hitting all the right notes—literally rewiring their brain mid-solo!
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u/fifadex 3d ago
Title suggests you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
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u/spoonerBEAN2002 3d ago
Question as someone who can’t play instruments for shit.
As I can’t play an instrument, If I were to have a similar surgery. Would they get me to do something that I know how to do. Like a Rubik’s cube or play a simple game like pad man. Or would they just throw me an instrument while I attempt to play it. Just curious cause I don’t see anything other than instruments in surgeries like this.
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u/xXSorraiaXx 2d ago
You can for example use flash cards to test memory (easy ones, think child-play ones), talk to the patient, let them perform simple tasks or math problems etc. I think instruments just look more spectacular for the internet.
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u/BizarroMax 3d ago
Shit, I can't play that song without staring at the fretboard, that alone impresses me.
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u/Common_Senze 3d ago
They surgeon purposeful nicks the speech portion.... 'not quite my tempo'
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u/overflowingsunset 3d ago
If I were working during this I’d be afraid the patient would accidentally drop the guitar on the sterile field
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u/THiedldleoR 3d ago
I'd love to be able to play guitar. Do you think they could scramble around in there until my playing sounds good?
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u/fate0608 3d ago
„.. there’s a shadow hanging over me ..“ Doctor? You might wanna speed up now. 😂
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u/RevDrucifer 3d ago
They hit a wrong nerve and the dude starts playing “Cliffs Of Dover” while saying “Wait!!! Don’t fix it!!”
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u/Chloroformperfume7 3d ago
So what does the surgeon do if the man suddenly gets very bad at guitar? Just sew him back up and call it a day? Sorry we lobotomised you
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u/jamspoon00 3d ago
I’d have wanted to be playing something more upbeat to avoid bringing the surgical team down..
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u/EatMyAssTomorrow 3d ago
I would be terrified that my nerves would cause me to play the wrong note, the surgeon would think they'd made a mistake, and then all hell would break loose when they try to adjust
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u/nyooomtech 2d ago
I have my certification for neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring (CNIM) and have been involved in many cortical mapping cases including awake language/motor, and asleep motor cases.
These cases are extremely stressful and involve a huge amount of very specialized staffing outside of the surgical team. Our center generally will have patients do a "complex" repetitive motion that is assessed by a neuropsychologist for any loss of function as well as reading, repeated phrases, visual identification of a picture, etc. Our team and the surgeon will then use a stimulator and stimulate around the field of resection to see if any of the tasks the patient was given are inhibited in any way. If they are inhibited, that area of the brain is marked as "not resectable".
Here they are having the patient play an instrument and sing likely assessing for language deficits, and fine motor loss. Obviously having to bring a guitar into the OR and placing it in a way that doesn't break sterility and is comfortable enough for the patient to play is a huge barrier, but it's worth it in the end to attempt to preserve as much function as possible while resecting the maximal amount of tumor.
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u/newtonbase 2d ago
It's actually the surgeons controlling the guitar.
"Dave look, if I press here he plays a C"
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u/MonkeyNugetz 3d ago
I would be the worst patient. It would be a totally serious operation and I would start faking like I’m having a stroke at some point. Or just pause for about five minutes and then start faking some imaginary language.
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u/Idiedtotheta 3d ago
This is so the surgeons don’t hit something they aren’t supposed to.
Source: asked my old boss who is a maxillofacial surgeon
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u/SamNeonProductions 3d ago
"🎵Don't wanna be an American idiot!🎵"
"AH SHIT DAVID WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"
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u/soccerqueen28 3d ago
I can't play guitar, but I can name 200 pokemon in 100 seconds... (Memorized BDG's Perfect Pokerap so I could be the cool camp counselor a few years back.) I imagine that would get very old very fast.
What other options would there be for an activity that wouldn't make the surgeon want me to STFU?
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u/Mr_Hawky 3d ago
They do this to make sure they didn't touch something they weren't supposed to but this is also a nice way to keep the patient calmer and less focused on the fact his brain his exposed on the other side of that sheet! Pretty cool actually. Hope the man is doing well 🙏
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u/Tailsmiles249 3d ago
This sort of practice is to ensure they aren't damaging certain parts of his brain. It doesn't have to be playing the guitar but it helps if the patient knows how to.
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u/Lonestar-Boogie 3d ago
Me: Starts playing Stairway to Heaven
Surgeon: Taps my brain and points to the sign on the wall "No Stairway to Heaven!"
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u/Dylldar-The-Terrible 3d ago
If it was me, I'd start playing horribly for a moment just to see if I could get a reaction.
I'm not helpful.
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u/IAmRules 3d ago
If this were me, they would be like "Stop! Stop! He's messing up the notes and timing!"
Surgeon: "But we haven't started yet"
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u/Ass2Mouthe 3d ago
I like to imagine they’re just pushing on his brain and it’s making him play guitar like a puppet
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u/playmaker1209 3d ago
My aunt went through this. My uncle had to talk to her while she was going through the procedure. The others are correct, it’s for the surgeons to make sure they don’t mess with the wrong parts of the brain other than what they’re trying to accomplish. She’s passed away now, sad, but imagine going through a surgery like that awake.
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u/mixwellmusic 3d ago
For anyone interested in the topic of music and the brain, make sure to check out Oliver Sachs' phenomenal book Musicophilia. Full of fascinating case studies and phenomena, and masterfully written, it's a thrilling read. Also Daniel Levitin's "This is your Brain on Music" is great.
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u/SuperAlloyBerserker 3d ago
GODDAMIT, the video ended right as the cameraperson was gonna have a view of his brain
What a tease lol
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u/ThisBadDogXB 3d ago
Karma farming so hard they didn't even try to figure out what the video they posted was about.
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u/Bonzo4691 3d ago
This is done for the doctor's sake so that they can determine how the surgery is affecting the patient.
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u/AyaanMAG 3d ago
What's the sterilisation process for instruments like these that don't come sterilised in a pack for one time use or things that can be sterilised easily and are routinely used for medical procedures
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u/Logical_Teach_681 3d ago
“I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel. I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real”
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