In an unusual event, a 24-year-old woman recited all the 40 verses of Hanuman Chalisa while undergoing a complex brain operation at Delhi’s AIIMS. During the entire three-hour-long operation of removing a brain tumour, the patient was kept awake and she resorted to her faith while doctors operated on her in the premier hospital’s neurosurgery department.
The incident happened on July 23. Speaking to ANI, Dr Deepak Gupta said that the woman was given local anesthesia injections for scalp block and painkiller medicines.
The video of the young woman inside the operation room was shared on Twitter by a journalist, who wrote, “In #AIIMS, a woman patient recite 40 verses of #Hanuman chalisa, while @drdeepakguptans and his neuro anaesthetic team conducts brain tumor surgery. #Delhi (sic)."
In #AIIMS, a woman patient recite 40 verses of #Hanuman chalisa, while @drdeepakguptans and his neuro anaesthetic team conducts brain tumor surgery.#Delhi pic.twitter.com/MmKTJsKo95— Arvind Chauhan (@Arv_Ind_Chauhan) July 23, 2021
In another subsequent video, Dr Gupta shared the details of the operation and explained the reason why patients are generally kept conscious during such complex surgeries.
@drdeepakguptans post surgery sharing details of the operation pic.twitter.com/HjzuDnNjVQ— Arvind Chauhan (@Arv_Ind_Chauhan) July 23, 2021
Over the past 20 years, AIIMS has carried out many “awake craniotomies" where patients are kept awake to ensure that no critical part of the brain is being damaged during the operation. More than 500 such procedures have been followed during the years, said AIIMS authorities.
The patient, who is an aspiring school teacher, has been currently kept under supervision and will be released on Saturday.
In a similar incident dating back to 2018, a South African jazz musician gave a performance on his operation bed while undergoing surgery to remove a recurring brain tumor.
The rare awake craniotomy was performed on Musa Manzini at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban. During the six-hour procedure, Manzini was kept awake to avoid paralysis or damage to the brain parts that control the voluntary functions, reported IOL.
The procedure was performed by a team of specialist resident neurosurgeons led by Dr Basil Enicker and Dr Rohen Harrichandparsad.
The decision to perform awake craniotomy was preferred as Dr Enicker felt Manzini’s career as a musician could be put in jeopardy if the “eloquent” areas of the brain were damaged during the operation.
By keeping Manzini awake, Enicker and his team located the areas in the brain that were activated while he was strumming the guitar and steered away from them thus preserving his motor functions and the dexterity of his fingers.
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