Deep Brain Stimulus

by Julie Martin RN, BSN, MBA - AVP Surgical Services

Recently, Dr. Rauzzino and Dr. Kakkar collaborated on our first Deep Brain Stimulus (DBS) surgery.  The surgery was performed on a 74-year-old female patient who suffers from Parkinson tremors since she was a child.  The two part surgeries included the initial craniotomy to place the leads with the patient remaining sedated and not under general anesthesia for the four-and-half hour case. The patient only remembers waking up from her nap long enough to raise the cup to her mouth when the leads were tested intraoperatively. After her one day hospital stay with the first surgery, the patient came back a couple of weeks later to have the generator placed subcutaneously under general anesthesia.  She went home the same day.

Special thanks to the surgical team, Dr. Rauzzino, Dr. Kakkar, Claude Stevens, Jeanne Allison and Jude Moreno, Dr. Chris Strouse, Anesthesia and the Medtronic professionals who truly made a difference in this patient's life. The patient and her family are excited over the possibility of decreased or no tremors.  The patient was doing remarkably well and both Dr. Rauzzino and Dr. Kakkar were pleased with the results.

A special moment occurred when the patient relayed her excitement about having a remote control to turn the DBS electrodes off at night while she sleeps since she will want to save the batteries.  Her husband jokingly added he was going to sneak the remote to, "mess with her a little."

Congratulations Dr. Rauzzino and Dr. Kakkar in a phenomenal outcome for this patient.