In a startling incident, a patient in New Delhi underwent brain surgery while chanting "Hanuman Chalisa" (Hindu chant invoking Lord Hanumana, the monkey god). A team of neurosurgeons led by Dr Deepak Gupta at the All India Institute of Medical Science, Delhi, along with the hospital's Neuro Anaesthetic Team performed the unique awake brain surgery. "Hanuman Chalisa" is a Hindu religious prayer that people generally chant when they are scared.
In the video, the surgeon can be heard telling the patient in Hindi: "Now we are removing [the tumour], chant Hanuman Chalisa now". The patient follows the doctor and chants the prayer feebly.
WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC AND MAY OFFEND SENSIBILITIES
Dr Deepak Gupta who is a senior neurosurgeon and has been performing awake brain surgeries for the past two decades told Sputnik that the three-hour surgery was performed on Thursday and the patient is recovering well.
"I operated on this 24-year-old girl and she had a brain tumour with fits and seizures. The tumour was big and located in the left part of the brain. Before the surgery, I had asked her if she would be comfortable with awake surgery and she said yes. The recitation of Hanuman Chalisa was her idea. She told me she is a big devotee of Lord Hanuman. She kept chanting and I kept operating on her", Dr Gupta told Sputnik.
Dr Gupta also informed that the patient performed well during the surgery and she didn't require intubation or general anesthesia.
"Within one hour she was back to normal and today she has been shifted to the general ward and she will be discharged tomorrow", he added.