Doctors at UCLA Health in Southern California documented a brain surgery on Thursday by using Instagram and Vine, showing yet another ground-breaking use of social media in the hospital setting.
We've already witnessed the world's first live-tweeted open-heart surgery from Houston, as well as a live-tweet of a brain surgery. But what was noteworthy about Thursday's live surgery from Los Angeles was the use of newbie social platform Vine, as the Los Angeles Times reported. Check out a sampling of the Vine video posts below.
The UCLA Health System (@UCLAHealth) used the hashtag, #UCLAORLive, to chronicle Thursday's operation. This was the UCLA deep brain stimulation team's 500th patient for which they implanted a brain pacemaker, according to the #UCLAORLive event page on Facebook. A brain pacemaker can help "cease Parkinson's disease and essential tremor," they said.
Prepping the site #UCLAORLive ##DBS #Tremors instagram.com/p/ZqORB-RI8D/— UCLA Health(@UCLAHealth) May 23, 2013
During the surgery, the patient was woken up and and he even played the guitar live.
A spokeswoman for UCLA Health, Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster, told the LA Times that this was their first live-tweeted surgery and through it they wanted to bring attention to brain pacemakers.
"Many in the public don’t know about this treatment so UCLA Health System thought this would be a good way to get the word out," Moster told the LA Times in an email.