It's World Anesthesia Day tomorrow! So, we invite you to take a deep breathe. Picture a relaxing scene. Maybe a beach in Tahiti, your toes in the sand, a cold drink in hand. Now imagine your favorite music playing in the background. If Dr. Alopi Patel were your anesthesiologist, that's exactly what she'd have you do while you waited for surgery. Before she puts patients under the sway of anesthesia, she likes to explain everything that will happen after they lose consciousness and lead them in guided imagery to help them relax before their procedure. She calls this "verbal anesthesia," and says "it's a type of anesthesia you can't really put in an I.V." Anesthesia is a cornerstone of modern medicine makes tons of surgeries possible today. But Dr. Patel says it wasn't always this way — and shares the history and mechanisms behind this once-controversial procedure. (encore)Curious about other breakthroughs in the history of science? Let us know by emailing [email protected]!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hi, my name is Dr. Patel, and I'm the anesthesiologist. And we're going to go into the operating room now. So the room might be a little cold. There might be a few people here.
This is what you'd hear in surgery if Dr. Alopi Patel was your anesthesiologist. When she puts patients under, she tries to explain everything as it happens so patients know what to expect.
Okay, so while you're sleeping, we're going to go on vacation. Where do you want to go? Tahiti. Ooh, I like Tahiti. So we're going to go to Tahiti. We're going to go to Bora Bora in Tahiti and we're sitting on the beach.
She'll put on your favorite music and continue this guided vacation imagery meant to put you as the patient into a relaxed state.
We're sitting on the beach, putting our toes in the sand. And do you want a margarita, a mojito? What are we drinking today?
Yeah, margarita. Salt or no salt? Margarita on the rocks. Salt. Yeah.
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