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Here's one for all of us glued to our smartphones.

A 69-year-old patient in the eastern Chinese region of Hangzhou is making the news for using her phone, while undergoing a procedure on her legs.

The patient, surnamed Zhu, was allowed to bring her phone into the operating theatre as her doctor wanted her to be more relaxed while she underwent a varicose vein surgery.

Surgery for varicose veins includes tying and removing them by pulling the veins out from under the skin.

During the 18 minute procedure, she took photos of the doctors and nurses, and looked at her friends' posts on social media outlet WeChat.

"It was quite relaxed -- not nervous at all," she told the South China Morning Post.

The doctor in charge, also named Zhu (unrelated), revealed that patients weren't usually allowed to bring their mobile phones into operating theatres, but they made an exception due to the woman's anxiety.

"In theory, the patient doesn't usually have their phone but she was too nervous...we needed to find something to let her relax or it would affect the surgery," Dr Zhu told local news outlet Hangzhou News.

The doctor added that her phone was sterilised before she went into the theatre.

Zhu was fully conscious throughout the operation as it required only local anaesthesia. She was discharged on the same day.

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