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National Geographic to screen Brain Surgery Live

It's a TV first as Nat Geo takes viewers into an operating theatre for Live brain surgery -on an awake patient.

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National Geographic Channel will air the first-ever Live brain surgery on Australian television.

The two-hour event, titled Brain Surgery Live With Mental Floss, will will mix Live coverage from the operating room at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio with pre-produced informative packages.

It will screen Live in Australia on Nat Geo in late October.

The Hollywood Reporter claims filming will take place via two handheld cameras well as several robotic cameras with inputs directly in the doctors’ surgical equipment, allowing viewers to see live images as the brain is being operated on in real time.

Used to treat essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease, DBS surgery is an elective procedure in which an opening is made in the skull to access the brain. The patient is fully awake and able to speak while the brain is being operated on.

Bryant Gumbel will host Brain Surgery Live with commentary from neurosurgeon Dr. Rahul Jandial and neuroscientist and podcast host Cara Santa Maria.

“We continue to celebrate the brain, inspiring and feeding viewers’ wonder and curiosity about the most complex and mysterious organ in the human body,” said Tim Pastore, National Geographic Channel president of original programming and production, in a statement. “We’re offering a real-time look into the center of a living brain that we hope will illuminate and teach, as well as tell a story that is unforgettable.

“It’s extremely gratifying to offer National Geographic viewers around the world the chance to share in a life-changing medical experience, as it is happening, to highlight the extraordinary talent and commitment of a renowned medical team and institution, and to illuminate the wonders and complexities of the human brain.”

Live Monday 26 October at 12.00pm on Nat Geo.

3 Responses

  1. Thanks Ben… I originally had worded it as “First in US” as per the original report, but because it was to air in Australia I didn’t want readers to think they would miss out on seeing it. Thanks for advising.

  2. Hi David, brain surgery was broadcast live on TV in the UK in 2009: uhs.nhs.uk/aboutthetrust/newsandpublications/latestnews/2009/southamptonsurgeontooperateliveonchannel4.aspx Cheers, Ben

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