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Wouldn't it be excruciatingly painful to get to the brain though? Or is there a way to locally anaesthetize so that you don't feel your scalp being sliced open

by dheera 4y ago

Wouldn't it be excruciatingly painful to get to the brain though? Or is there a way to locally anaesthetize so that you don't feel your scalp being sliced open and your skull being cracked open?

speedylight 4y ago
I think that it’s less about the pain because yeah you could probably use some sort of a local anesthetic for the scalp tissue, but I can’t imagine what all the vibrations and sounds passing through skull feels like, especially when power tools are used to drill into the skull or cut out a small section.
- sudhirj 4y ago
  If the drill is medical grade and extremely fast, you might not feel any vibrations at all, almost like a laser. Should feel like a scrape more than anything.
  - OJFord 4y ago
    I don't know what you (personally) imagine when you say 'medical grade', but surgery (other than robots and keyhole I suppose) is pretty brutal and mechanical. A 'medical-grade drill' is basically whatever's been approved for medical use, not (necessarily, though I don't doubt they exist) something special that isn't also sold for drilling masonry.
    - spookthesunset 4y ago
      When I’ve had surgery that was the joke the doctor told. It’s just a $10,000 version of a tool you’d pick up at Home Depot. Obviously there are some things that would be different. For example a big issue is you’d want to use non-toxic lubricant on all the parts. Not sure what non-toxic means but I’m sure there is something (vegetable oil? Silicone?) You’d also want to make sure it won’t fling off tiny metal or plastic shards from the tool. Don’t want that to get into the body. You’d probably have to seal up any ventilation openings in such a way that crap couldn’t escape. I’m sure mechanically you’d want it to be as tight of tolerance as you could get away with—you probably don’t want a lot of slop when cutting open some dudes skull. Vibration and such probably play into that tolerance bit… Of course it could just literally be a rebranded Ryobi or something for all I know. But I’m pretty sure it isn’t. Too many additional requirements means it is probably something slightly fancier.
      - devilbunny 4y ago
        The ones used in the operating room are different, but for putting traction pins in broken legs (in mid-shaft femur fractures, they will put a pin through the lower part of the femur and hang weights off the end of the bed to straighten the fracture out until the patient can go to surgery), they just use a regular cordless drill since the procedure is not fully sterile.
    - nottorp 4y ago
      Wife had a broken leg and they inserted a metal rod in to the bone. She said the operating room sounded like a car repair shop.
      - iancmceachern 4y ago
        100%, orthopedics are intense. They use pneumatic drills and saws so the auto shop analogy isn't far off. In the med device industry ortho docs are often described as mechanics and they often have a lot of physical issues themselves ad they age because it's such hard physical work. Not long ago I designed a set of bone taps and drills along with a bunch of related instruments and they were designed and made not much differently than high end tools for metal or woodworking.
- OJFord 4y ago
  Strange, I imagine, because you'd have the vibrations and sounds as you describe of the actual cutting, but also the feeling (whatever that's like) of reducing intracranial pressure.
- hamandcheese 4y ago
  > but I can’t imagine what all the vibrations and sounds passing through skull feels like, especially when power tools are used to drill into the skull or cut out a small section. I imagine it might be similar to having a cavity filled.
boomboomsubban 4y ago
I think it'd be one of the least painful places. The scalp is thin, and isn't overly sensitive, think of how professional wrestlers often cut their scalp on purpose. And I don't think the skull has a ton of nerves in the first place. A relative had brain surgery for a tumor, and if I'm remembering what she said from fifteen years ago correctly she said the anesthesia shot hurt, than the rest was more a relief than anything as the tumor had been applying constant pressure for years.
- aix1 4y ago
  > think of how professional wrestlers often cut their scalp on purpose Wait, what? (I am even hesitant to ask as I'm not sure I'm ready to hear the answer, whatever it might be.)
  - Entinel 4y ago
    So when pro wrestlers bleed there are two ways, blading and hard way. Hard way is exactly as it sounds, someone got hit so hard they got busted open. The second and what the OP is referring to is blading, you get a thin razor blade and nick your scalp-forehead area and you start bleeding. It isn't as extreme as they made it sound.
  - Andoryuuta 4y ago
    I just googled it because I've never heard of it before... it's pretty crazy. Apparently, the wrestlers cut themselves on their scalp / forehead some time into a match to make the match look more intense, with the blood from their head mixing with sweat and dripping down... A 17 year old kid was even hospitalized due to blood loss from it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blading_(professional_wrestling) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blading_(professional_wrestl...
  - grogenaut 4y ago
    Oh wow you're in for a fun day of googling, on the innner world of wrestling. Look up Face, Heel, Turn, Kayfabe, and then go deeper if you want.
  - tomcam 4y ago

by dheera 4y ago

Wouldn't it be excruciatingly painful to get to the brain though? Or is there a way to locally anaesthetize so that you don't feel your scalp being sliced open and your skull being cracked open?

speedylight 4y ago

I think that it’s less about the pain because yeah you could probably use some sort of a local anesthetic for the scalp tissue, but I can’t imagine what all the vibrations and sounds passing through skull feels like, especially when power tools are used to drill into the skull or cut out a small section.

sudhirj 4y ago
If the drill is medical grade and extremely fast, you might not feel any vibrations at all, almost like a laser. Should feel like a scrape more than anything.
- OJFord 4y ago
  I don't know what you (personally) imagine when you say 'medical grade', but surgery (other than robots and keyhole I suppose) is pretty brutal and mechanical. A 'medical-grade drill' is basically whatever's been approved for medical use, not (necessarily, though I don't doubt they exist) something special that isn't also sold for drilling masonry.
  - spookthesunset 4y ago
    When I’ve had surgery that was the joke the doctor told. It’s just a $10,000 version of a tool you’d pick up at Home Depot. Obviously there are some things that would be different. For example a big issue is you’d want to use non-toxic lubricant on all the parts. Not sure what non-toxic means but I’m sure there is something (vegetable oil? Silicone?) You’d also want to make sure it won’t fling off tiny metal or plastic shards from the tool. Don’t want that to get into the body. You’d probably have to seal up any ventilation openings in such a way that crap couldn’t escape. I’m sure mechanically you’d want it to be as tight of tolerance as you could get away with—you probably don’t want a lot of slop when cutting open some dudes skull. Vibration and such probably play into that tolerance bit… Of course it could just literally be a rebranded Ryobi or something for all I know. But I’m pretty sure it isn’t. Too many additional requirements means it is probably something slightly fancier.
    - devilbunny 4y ago
      The ones used in the operating room are different, but for putting traction pins in broken legs (in mid-shaft femur fractures, they will put a pin through the lower part of the femur and hang weights off the end of the bed to straighten the fracture out until the patient can go to surgery), they just use a regular cordless drill since the procedure is not fully sterile.
  - nottorp 4y ago
    Wife had a broken leg and they inserted a metal rod in to the bone. She said the operating room sounded like a car repair shop.
    - iancmceachern 4y ago
      100%, orthopedics are intense. They use pneumatic drills and saws so the auto shop analogy isn't far off. In the med device industry ortho docs are often described as mechanics and they often have a lot of physical issues themselves ad they age because it's such hard physical work. Not long ago I designed a set of bone taps and drills along with a bunch of related instruments and they were designed and made not much differently than high end tools for metal or woodworking.
OJFord 4y ago
Strange, I imagine, because you'd have the vibrations and sounds as you describe of the actual cutting, but also the feeling (whatever that's like) of reducing intracranial pressure.
hamandcheese 4y ago
> but I can’t imagine what all the vibrations and sounds passing through skull feels like, especially when power tools are used to drill into the skull or cut out a small section. I imagine it might be similar to having a cavity filled.

boomboomsubban 4y ago

I think it'd be one of the least painful places. The scalp is thin, and isn't overly sensitive, think of how professional wrestlers often cut their scalp on purpose. And I don't think the skull has a ton of nerves in the first place. A relative had brain surgery for a tumor, and if I'm remembering what she said from fifteen years ago correctly she said the anesthesia shot hurt, than the rest was more a relief than anything as the tumor had been applying constant pressure for years.

aix1 4y ago
> think of how professional wrestlers often cut their scalp on purpose Wait, what? (I am even hesitant to ask as I'm not sure I'm ready to hear the answer, whatever it might be.)
- Entinel 4y ago
  So when pro wrestlers bleed there are two ways, blading and hard way. Hard way is exactly as it sounds, someone got hit so hard they got busted open. The second and what the OP is referring to is blading, you get a thin razor blade and nick your scalp-forehead area and you start bleeding. It isn't as extreme as they made it sound.
- Andoryuuta 4y ago
  I just googled it because I've never heard of it before... it's pretty crazy. Apparently, the wrestlers cut themselves on their scalp / forehead some time into a match to make the match look more intense, with the blood from their head mixing with sweat and dripping down... A 17 year old kid was even hospitalized due to blood loss from it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blading_(professional_wrestling) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blading_(professional_wrestl...
- grogenaut 4y ago
  Oh wow you're in for a fun day of googling, on the innner world of wrestling. Look up Face, Heel, Turn, Kayfabe, and then go deeper if you want.
- tomcam 4y ago