Now here’s something you don’t see on Twitter every day. UCLA’s Health System used Vine videos and Instagram photos to give Twitter readers the opportunity to watch brain surgery in near real-time. The patient has Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. During the procedure, he was awakened. Then, incredibly, he played guitar while neurosurgeon Dr. Nader Pouratian implanted a device called a brain pacemaker.
What song will he playing in the OR today? #UCLAORLive https://t.co/pEcB6T4qgG
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Dr. Pouratain talks about the surgery #UCLAORLive https://t.co/NvqS6dS9kQ
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Scrub in with us today for a Deep Brain Stimulation surgery today #DBS #500thDBS #UCLAORLive… http://t.co/CowG20JjGv
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Our patient shows off the guitar he will be playing in the OR #UCLAORLive https://t.co/IKlRaxAj22
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Surgery Prep #UCLAORLive #DBS #Tremors https://t.co/G3hemWDBDU
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Putting on the head frame #UCLAORLive #500DBS #Tremors https://t.co/bnUYrtxWbz
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Getting the patient ready with the frame #UCLAORLive #500DBS #nomoretremor http://t.co/Q7pWDHCrDJ
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
The CT Scan will be used to target the implants #UCLAORLive #DBS #Tremors #Nomoretremors https://t.co/cjrGJb3MED
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
They are taking a look at the CT Scan to see where the implant will be placed #UCLAORLive #DBS #Tremors https://t.co/fA2U3CuGGI
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Taking a look at the CT Scan to see where the implants should be placed. #UCLAORLive #500thDBS #DBS… http://t.co/AN4XG1TH9z
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
X marks the location where the electrode will be place #UCLAORLive #DBS #tremor http://t.co/wI0CgF2miK
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
It is true…he will be playing the guitar in a few hours. Follow along to see #UCLAORLive @thisgirlleslie @joshlevscnn @cnnhealth
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Prepping the site #UCLAORLive ##DBS #Tremors http://t.co/lpXPooYYpZ
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Surgical TimeOut Time #UCLAORLive #DBS #tremor http://t.co/KB36bK5B5Z
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
More prep! #UCLAORLive #DBS #tremors http://t.co/spBQfgLq7N
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Dialing in the targets on the head frame for electrode. #UCLAORLive https://t.co/K4EbYusyzd
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Alright….here we go! #UCLAORLive https://t.co/Z1pXIj3Tg7
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Removing the skin and drilling through the skull for electrode placement #UCLAORLive #DBS #tremors https://t.co/VZsUfCi5MX
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
This is the stimloc. It is place on the #skull and will secure the lead in place. #UCLAORLive #dbs http://t.co/KJKm6DYGB3
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Putting in the lead #UCLAORLive #tremors #nomoretremors https://t.co/yNo1sQCXOC
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Electrode is prepared for implantation. Patient is being woken up at this time. #UCLAORLive #DBS #500thDBS https://t.co/i02jfgrvsa
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
The are starting testing to get a baseline #UCLAORLive https://t.co/o2MwG6aSlM
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Sounds beautiful in the OR #UCLAORLive #dbs @ Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center http://t.co/PlfHqb2vgl
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Placing the electrode #UCLAORLive ## @ Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center http://t.co/cQttyW9MgM
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Hi Mom! Greetings from the OR! #UCLAORLive #DBS #tremors https://t.co/Z7Rrp8OOQC
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Patient in OR plays in OR #UCLAORLive https://t.co/M0Xs15jVlF
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
He is starting to play #UCLAORLive https://t.co/MA6vS1M4nZ
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
#UCLAORLive https://t.co/8FnJjKO9aA
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
More testing #UCLAORLive https://t.co/af45WT0pkm
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Delivering test stimulation to verify lead location. Symptom and side effects are both good info for surger… https://t.co/m9qTJc4TAJ
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Testing, testing and more testing #UCLAORLive #testing #DBS https://t.co/spSn9HK5li
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
After some testing, the team decided to move the electrode 2 cm #UCLAORLive #DBS #500thdbs @ Ronald… http://t.co/rucVJiyTeD
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Big improvement in #tremors #UCLAORLive https://t.co/GS1K0mgviA
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
This remote controls the voltage of the electrode #UCLAORLive #DBS http://t.co/MVBcYINwO3
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
The electrode! #UCLAORLive #DBS #nomoretremors @ Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center http://t.co/oMIoaHdzVf
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Just a few more electrode adjustments #UCLAORLive https://t.co/UgoEaT6GIU
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Jammin again in the OR #UCLAORLive #dbs #tremors https://t.co/kRuguPaRu3
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Rockin out! #UCLAORLive #GuitarintheOR #dbs https://t.co/CuN58bQr2i
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Time to close up. The patient will have the battery placed in two weeks. The implanted system will be… http://t.co/mz4RecZ41O
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
And that's it. Thank you for joining us today! #UCLAORLive https://t.co/g8ZJ7Xi2eT
— UCLA Health (@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
Remarkable. We hope the patient has a good recovery.
UCLA Health spokeswoman Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster told the Los Angeles Times the purpose of the live-tweeting exercise was to draw attention to a medical device called a brain pacemaker. The device is used to treat not only Parkinson’s Disease and tremors, but also epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases.
Unfortunately, Obamacare imposes an excise tax on medical devices, and we assume this tax applies to the brain pacemaker. Don’t be surprised if the pace of innovation slows down.