Into the mind of a children’s brain surgeon

Paediatric neurosurgeon Dr Jay Jayamohan, who will be speaking on his book ‘Everything That Makes Us Human’ at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, tells Anand Raj OK how his need for instant gratification made him a surgeon and how heavy metal helps him stay focused while in the operating theatre

Last updated: July 05, 2022 | 00:30

Anand Raj OK

8 MIN READ

Surgeons in general and neurosurgeons in particular rarely get time to switch off, says Dr Jay

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There are two ways to open a person’s head. Usually, I shave the hair, nick the skin with a scalpel, then apply an electrocautery device to burn down the tissue to bone level. It’s slow, precise and leaves almost no scarring. But it takes time.

Everything That Makes Us Human: Case Notes of a Children’s Brain Surgeon

Brain Doctors

"Have we got the scans?" I ask.

"On their way. But there’s another thing. One pupil dilating."

Oh God. A single pupil enlarging is a really bad sign. When a doctor shines a light into your pupil, they’re monitoring brain function. Pupils are meant to shrink with light. If they don’t, there’s a real risk of death.

"Heart rate?" I ask. "Thirty-five and dropping." [The paramedic] checks again. "Thirty-four."...

"We don’t have time for theatre," I tell my registrar. "Get everyone here."

The second I get the all-clear... I make a drill hole through the skull and pass a rubber tube into the brain. We don’t have scans in front of us. I’m doing it by memory. Mess this up and it’s game over.

Wolf Hall

"We’re in," I say, feeling the tell-tale change in resistance as the tube goes in from the ‘school blancmange’ bit of the brain into the water of the ventricle (the central cavity).

"Heart rate rising," the anaesthetist confirms, "blood pressure dropping." His face is as elated as mine.

Then smiles fade. Our crash-bang-wallop-style procedure has saved her life — for now.

Once she became stronger, we would have to look at the ongoing cause behind this crisis.

But that was for another day. "Now," I say, "it’s time to meet the parents."

How the book came together

The 2021 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is spread over three venues and three weekends from January 29 to February 13.

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