M.D.s and their MP3s

By Marshall Allen (contact)

Friday, Nov. 24, 2006 | 7:02 a.m.

Things you find in the operating room: scalpels, steady nerves and Stones. The Rolling Stones.

Whether they're cracking open a sternum, swapping out a knee joint or sucking fat from saddle bags, surgeons like working to a back beat. Most patients would never know this, being that they're unconscious.

Doctors say music is relaxing and puts them in a good mood, helps them stay focused and improves their performance under pressure.

Their assertions are backed by a 1994 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found surgeons were most efficient and accurate when they chose their own music. Their performance also improved when tunes were chosen for them, compared to situations with no music at all.

Operating room music delivery has evolved as technology advanced. In the old days it was often a simple radio, then came the mix tapes and next CDs. Now, doctors are digitized audiophiles who mainly use iPods, sometimes with play-lists to suit individual tastes or procedures, to listen to their MP3 downloads.

For instance, anesthesiologist Dr. Randy Colquitt has a playlist called "Finish the Day," for the "closing" process in an operation. It features songs such as Jimmy Buffet's "Five O'Clock Somewhere" and Toby Keith's "I Ain't as Good as I Once Was," to accompany doctors in the home stretch as they close an incision with sutures.

Some songs are taboo. "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen came to one surgeon's mind.

But otherwise it might be opera, Stevie Ray Vaughn or even Dread Zeppelin, a cover band that plays Led Zeppelin songs reggae-style.

Classic rock isn't every surgeon's taste. Some prefer "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Joe Cocker, or Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

Tastes are eclectic, so we polled Las Vegas surgeons about their musical preferences in the operating room. Here are some of their answers in their own words.

Dr. Bill Maranon, general surgeon:

My iPod has like 5,000 tunes on it, anything from Frank Sinatra to Metallica. Yesterday I did a laparoscopic appendectomy and I think David Bowie was playing. Sometimes I like some light jazz because then I don't have to listen to anyone sing along. Other times I like Howard Stern or some comedy ...

I know a cardiac surgeon and he's into this hip-hop rap stuff. He's like a middle-aged, Jewish conservative-looking guy who's sitting there singing like: "Here my baby, come, come, my baby. You're my sugar fly." He knows all the lyrics to all these rap songs.

Dr. George Alexander, plastic surgeon:

There are particular songs we have for closing. One is "Ventura Highway" by the group America. For me it kind of reminds me of good times, when that song was around. It also kind of makes us think of the California coast, the beaches, the sunshine. It has a good feeling to it. It's like how you may feel if you work Monday through Friday and it's now Friday.

Dr. Larry Cohler, heart and lung surgeon, chief of surgery at Valley Hospital:

I'm into all kinds of music. Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" might be playing during an important part of the operation because it's a soft, lilting kind of thing. During heart surgery, it's that kind of calming, soothing, quiet kind of music.

I enjoy rap because I like the colorful expressions. That's why I listen to hip-hop. I like the vocabulary, the slang.

Dr. Robert Troell, plastic surgeon:

Patients are put into an anesthetic state easier with mellow music. It makes people less anxious and less stressed. If they're stressed they release certain hormones that can create high blood pressure.

I'll ask what kind of music they like. If they like acid rock, I won't play that. That'll agitate them and keep them awake. When we're closing we play more upbeat music, like Bob Marley's "Legends" CD. It lifts your spirits.

Dr. Francis Teng, chief of surgery at Mountain View Hospital:

Music is a stress reliever. The operating room has its own set of stresses. If it's a tough case, things can get overwhelming. Listening to your favorite kind of music puts you at ease. It puts you in a place that psychologically makes you feel good.

Orthopedic surgeons - they really rock out. The hard rock, punk rock, in my day AC/DC, heavy metal. Sometimes some of them really crank it. Most operating rooms keep it at a level where there's good communication.

For me, I like soft rock. I'm the more easy mellow type. I like to listen to Phil Collins, the Beatles, Elton John. That keeps me at my point where I'm most relaxed.