According to the Daily Mail, Carles, 27, played his sax during a 12-hour brain operation two months ago at a hospital in Malaga, Spain.
Mr. Carles’ operation was unprecedented. He was the first patient in Europe to undergo surgery while playing the sax. Another patient with a similar experience to Mr Carles’ is from the US.
The next day, Mr. Carles told a press conference about his special operation.
He played jazz for 12 hours of surgery, and the unique concert was attended by 16 paramedics, including three neurosurgeons, three neurophysiologists, five anesthetists and five nurses.
He did this to make sure that the doctor’s operation did not destroy his playing ability. Instead of giving him a general anesthetic during the operation, the anesthetist gave him a local anesthetic and combined painkillers to make Mr. Carles endure the pain of the operation, and he stayed awake throughout. During the operation, a nurse held the music for him to read. He played jazz “Mist” while undergoing a craniotomy.
After the surgery was successful, neurosurgeon Gale said: “We did it because Mr. Carles is a very professional saxophone musician and our surgery will affect his future work.” At the age of nine, Mr. Carles has been practicing saxophone since he became a professional musician, recalling the surgery as lying on the beach playing saxophone.
Another musician, who has recovered from the same experience, said: “It’s like being born again. Music had been with me for most of my life, and when the doctor said we could play an instrument during the operation, I didn’t think much of it and agreed immediately.