LifeSaving Radio, available at lifesavingradio.com, allows surgical teams to create custom playlists and is the first artificial intelligence-powered radio station "clinically designed to optimize surgical performance and help surgeons save lives," according to creators NextMed Health and Klick Health.
A video promoting the service suggests surgical teams can "scrub in and rock out!"
Listening to hard rock music in the operating room may improve the efficiency and accuracy of surgeons at work, according to a small study published in March 2022 in Lagenbeck's Archive of Surgery.
Playing rock music, particularly heavy metal band AC/DC's songs like those on the Highway to Hell album, was associated with surgeons performing better at precision cutting compared with operating rooms where no music is played, the study suggests, noting that listening to soft rock, such as The Beatles, played at a medium volume, also showed some benefits, but that listening to AC/DC at a high volume showed the most dramatic results in terms of a surgeon's cutting accuracy.
Clinicians can also stream Highway to Heal, an AC/DC-inspired album, at lifesavingradio.com. The parody album features reimagined songs by the band performed by AC/DC tribute bands, including: "Back is Cracked," "It's a Short Stop at the Doc (If You Wanna Chop a Mole)" and "You Sewed Me All Night Long."
Throughout the world, there are 1.2 million surgeons who perform a total of more than 313 million surgeries every year. With preventable surgical complications being the third-leading cause of death worldwide, it is important that surgical teams remain "in the zone," Vonda Wright, MD, orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Columbus, Ga.-based Hughston Clinic, said in the video.
Additionally, Lifesaving Radio offers an AI component that allows surgical teams to "deliver a personalized performance-enhancing" messages and audio experiences that are synchronized with the needs of each operation.
One example, according to the video: "Good morning, Dr. Wright! Your AI DJ Angus is here with a surgery soundtrack that will keep your team as sharp as scalpel."
Accessing the customized AI radio experience requires you to go to lifesavingradio.com and sign into your Spotify Premium account. You can enter surgical team names, facility/hospital, procedure and estimated length of the surgery. Customized playlists will include songs from the parody album.
"We know music helps improve athletic performance and, for an OR team, surgery is like a well-tuned chamber orchestra communicating with movements and gestures, not necessarily words," Dr. Wright said in the video, noting she uses Lifesaving Radio in the operating room to improve concentration, minimize stress and maintain a flow state.