Under the harsh lights of an operating theatre in the Indian capital, Delhi, a woman lies motionless as surgeons prepare to remove her gallbladder...

Even as the drugs silence much of her brain, its auditory pathway remains partly active. When she wakes up, she will regain consciousness more quickly and clearly because she required lower doses of anaesthetic drugs such as propofol and opioid painkillers than patients who heard no music...

The study focuses on patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the standard keyhole operation to remove the gallbladder...

Our aim is early discharge after surgery,” says Dr Farah Husain, a senior specialist in anaesthesia and certified music therapist for the study...

The study revealed that patients exposed to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl and experienced smoother recoveries...

This innovative approach may reshape surgical care by integrating music therapy into anesthetic routines...