TMC PULSE

March 2017

Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/792366

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 28 of 39

t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 7 27 Darling . CalAtlantic . Chesmar Homes . David Weekley Gracepoint . Highland . Meritage . MI Homes . Newmark . Perry Shea . Taylor Morrison . Toll Brothers . Trendmaker . Westin Downtown Greenway Galleria Med Center Fo r t B e n d P k w y New homes from the $280s! siennaplantation.com Live Well. Play Hard. Have Fun. Sienna Pkwy at Hwy. 6 20 NEW Model Homes and a great variety of previously-owned homes too. FOLLOW the SIGNS! Weekends in March! Over 50 homes OPEN! NEW & PRE-OWNED HOME and an emergency, you're in a lot of stress," he said. "But that is the moment when you want to be most relaxed, the most sensitive to the feedback the tissue gives you in order to save the patient's life. It is very similar to a concert performance where you want to make the most beautiful music when you are onstage under stress. It's about … being able to take a step back and control your breathing, control your heart rate and be very focused." To become an effective, ambidextrous surgeon, Conrad modified his daily routine. For example, he brushes his teeth with his left hand in the morn- ing and alternates wrists for his watch every other day. In his current role as a teacher of sur- gery, he gives the assistant the optimal position at the operat- ing table. Conrad stands on the opposite side of the table and uses his non-dominant hand to perform procedures. "If you have to always position your body so that your right hand engages, No. 1 the dissec- tion will not be as high quality, and, No. 2, I don't think it's good for your body," he said. Conrad's musically-trained brain allows him to think abstractly. "When you look at an X-ray, to some people, it's just shades of black and white, but it's the deeper meaning that's within there," he said. "When I look at music, I hear it in my head. I think about how I'm going to play it. I think about the phras- ing. … I think about possible imagery; it should sound like sun breaking through the clouds." Conrad listens to music while he operates. In a recent paper he and his colleagues published, they showed that music in the operating room can help to improve team dynamics. "We know that anesthe- siologists—part of their job description is to follow auditory encoded information (including alarms)—like so-called 'reflective' music, like classical music or jazz music," he said. "Surgeons, who have to execute prolonged motor performance, often enjoy so-called 'activating' music. Classical music can be a good common denominator for an OR team." Whether he's listening to Bach on his bike ride to work, performing surgery to Mozart or playing Chopin from memory on his piano at home after a long day, Conrad's love for music is an essential part of his daily life. "Music has such an import- ant role," he said. "It touches us so deeply without physically doing anything to us. It's so interesting to me that sound- waves can create this very strong experience."

Articles in this issue

view archives of TMC PULSE - March 2017