'I played guitar during brain surgery': Incredible video shows patient strumming away as doctors live-streamed his operation



Musician Brad Carter, 39, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2006



Hand tremors caused by condition meant he lost ability to play the guitar

Doctors live-tweeted implanting a pacemaker in his brain to treat condition

Mr Carter was awakened during surgery to assist with electrode placement

He can be seen playing guitar and singing along in the middle of operation



A hospital in Los Angeles has become the first in the world to live-tweet a brain surgery using Vine, Twitter's new way to share videos online.



Incredibly the footage shows the patient happily strumming away on his guitar while doctors operate.



Patient Brad Carter, 39, was filmed while surgeons placed a pacemaker implant in his brain yesterday to counteract the effects of Parkinson's disease.

Not for the squeamish or faint-hearted, the tweets of the surgery are accompanied with video that shows each stage of the procedure in brief but graphic clips.

Patient Brad Carter, 39, can be seen playing the guitar as surgeons at UCLA in California operate on his brain

Preparation: Brad Carter, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2006, talks about the songs he plans to play ahead of surgery to implant a pacemaker in his brain

Mr Carter was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after he developed hand tremors in 2006 which caused him to lose the ability to play his guitar.

The operation involves stimulating an area of the brain and implanting a brain pacemaker to treat the condition and essential tremors.

Mr Carter was woken up for part of the procedure and asked to play his guitar to assist the doctors with placing electrodes into the correct position.



Pre-op: Doctors can be seen preparing Mr Carter for surgery in this picture uploaded to Twitter's Vine service

Getting started: UCLA tweeted this picture at the start of the operation next to the tag: 'Alright... here we go!'

Doctors broadcast the procedure to commemorate the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre's 500th deep brain stimulation operation.

In the incredible footage posted online, the musician can then be seen playing his beloved instrument once again, even singing along, as doctors finish placing electrodes in his brain.

Speaking to the camera, Mr Carter says: 'I'm excited to play this guitar. [These are] original tunes - one is called "Drunk again".'



The operation was filmed and live-tweeted to mark the 500th time the medical centre has performed the procedure.



The hospital live-tweeted explanations, videos and photographs of the entire process to Twitter users over the course of several hours on Thursday

Live tweets using Instagram showed Twitter users the instruments and gadgets - such as this remote control - being used to restore Brad's ability to play the guitar

Staff updated followers with Instagram photos and short video clips alongside the hashtag #UCLAORLive.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a therapy for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, a degenerative condition estimated to affect around 127,000 Britons.



There is no cure for the condition but surgery such as this and medication can help alleviate symptoms including tremors, muscle stiffness, pain and very slow movement.



DBS involves inserting a pacemaker that emits electronic impulses to affected areas of the brain, which lessens tremor symptoms.



Here surgeons shows exactly how the procedure to implant a pacemaker was carried out to help control the patient's Parkinson's tremor

Anniversary: The operation was filmed to mark the 500th time UCLA has carried out the surgery

Awake: Mr Carter, who can be seen holding up a cup of water during the operation, was awakened during the surgery to assist doctors in placing the electrodes in the right place

At UCLA, the patient is kept conscious throughout surgery and is asked to perform tests so that surgeons can check the pacemaker is properly placed.



UCLA said it live-tweeted the surgery, which was overseen by Dr. Nader Pouratian, with the hope that it would help alleviate future patients' fear of the procedure.

Tweets posted included: 'Removing the skin and drilling through the skull for electrode placement' and 'Electrode is prepared for implantation. Patient is being woken up at this time'.