SWarm hands are a must for surgeons in the operating room. But what about head banging?
A 2022 study published in Archives of Langenbeck’s Surgery discovered that playing rock music—specifically, the soft tunes of heavy metal band AC/DC’s Highway to Hell popularity—has to do with surgeons performing better precise cuts than without music.
This study was small, examining the performance of 30 medical students who performed laparoscopic surgery, so disregard the results. But it did find that performing surgical procedures while listening to AC/DC at medium and high volumes increased speed while maintaining accuracy compared to when listening to no music. Listening to soft rock (they play The Beatles) at medium volume also offers some benefits, but the speed and accuracy results when listening to AC/DC at high volume are the most impressive. Color me thunder!
To put these lessons into action, NextMed Health, in partnership with Klick Health, created an AI-powered radio station called Rescue Radio. It will feature music similar to AC/DC to help motivate surgeons and will even incorporate the music of a new tribute album called not Highway to Hell, but Highway to Heal, a simulation. covers AC/DC songs with lyrics about health care.
Obviously, some surgeons are idiots, and are concerned about this.
“We know music improves athletic performance, and for an OR group, surgery is like a well-tuned chamber orchestra that communicates with movements and gestures, not necessarily words. ,” said orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Vonda Wright, MD, FAOA, in an article. project release. “Lifesaving radio is a great surgical tool that our teams can use to help improve focus, reduce stress, and maintain fluency.”
But related story
If medical teams sign up for their procedure, they can even get a thank you note from the AI DJ on the air.
Especially after the pandemic, healthcare workers are some of the most stressed and exhausted professionals around. While this project may seem silly, if it can bring joy to surgeons and potentially lead to better outcomes for patients, we all want to dial that into Lifesaver.
