I couldn’t help but be enraged reading the article “Distracted surgeons can lead to errors” in The Bulletin Jan. 10. At one point in the article, it talks about distractions and interruptions considered typical in an operating room: a metal tray drops, a cellphone rings, two staff members engage in political conversation or the surgeon is asked about another patient. They go on to say the distractions regularly occurred at critical points in the operation.

I would like to know why these distractions are considered typical? I can understand the tray dropping, but do they really need to be carrying on a political conversation when the life of another human being is in their hands? Do they really need a study to tell us that we should keep our mouth shut and focus on the life of our patient? How about leaving their cellphones out of the operating room?

There is nothing more important than what they are doing at that moment. Let another doctor stand in for the operating doctor for questions regarding his other patients. These are all common-sense solutions to situations that should never happen.

Lisa M. Reisman

Bend