Yahoo! News - Heart Surgery Performed in Awake Patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heart surgery is a frightening prospect for many people, but now imagine undergoing the operation completely awake! That's what seven patients treated at a hospital in Turkey went though -- in a planned, deliberate study.

This wasn't some anesthesia horror story, but a procedure that was designed by the surgeons. The results indicate that coronary bypass surgery can be safely performed in awake patients, even if they have relatively severe heart disease.

Although the patients did not receive general anesthesia, they felt no pain during the surgery thanks to epidural anesthesia -- the type usually given to pregnant women during labor.

Aiyeeeeee! Thanks, but no thanks.