Music teacher plays guitar in the middle of surgery while having tumor removed

A 55-year-old music teacher had a tumor removed from his brain and had to be kept awake to monitor his neurological functions, so he preferred to compose songs and play the guitar while the surgery was being performed.

During 4 hours, neurosurgeon Celia Teresa de Jesús Álvarez headed the team of specialists who operated on the maestro at the Issste General Hospital “Aquiles Calles Ramírez” of La Cantera, in the capital of Nayarit.

This is the first surgery of its kind performed in Nayarit, said the ISSSTE in a statement in which it highlighted the capacity of its medical and clinical staff.

The specialist Celia Teresa de Jesús assured that the professor was not in pain while the intervention was being performed, besides the fact that it was necessary to keep him awake to monitor his neurological functions, a common practice in this type of surgeries.

Due to the characteristics of the tumor, it was not possible to know where its limits were and if its cells were benign or malignant, that is why it was also decided that the patient should be awake at all times.

The fact that he sang, played and composed songs while his brain was being operated on, facilitated the monitoring of his functions such as speech, hearing, facial recognition and creative ability.

The specialist in charge assured that this operation will help the patient to improve his health, and that in the next two weeks he will moderately return to his daily activities.

TYT Newsroom