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 on an operating table for a surgery. She says 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."
Then, she may hold your hand and put an oxygen mask over your face while she administers medication through your I.V. — and your eyes slowly start to feel heavy.
This 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.
Curious about other breakthroughs in the history of science? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson. It was edited by Berly McCoy. Tyler Jones checked the facts. The audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.
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