A Wisconsin brain surgery patient shocked doctors when he played his trombone during the operation to ensure the procedure was working.
Brian Rust started noticing an intense shake in his hand which began to impact his trombone playing and the ability to hold his grandchildren.
He had been playing the trombone since he was 15-years-old in high school.
Doctors diagnosed Rust with an intention tremor – an involuntary muscle contraction that happens during a voluntary movement – and prescribed him medication and scheduled physical therapy.
When those methods stopped working, he was slated for brain surgery at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin doctors diagnosed Brian Rust with an intention tremor – an involuntary muscle contraction that happens during a voluntary movement – after his shaking hands made it hard to play his beloved trombone and hold his grandkids
Rust was slated for brain surgery on November 2022 at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin with neurosurgeon Dr. Wendell Lake
Rust told WISN-TV: ‘There’s nothing quite like the feeling of playing with other people and making music. It’s really hard to describe.
‘Even if you don’t play all that well, it’s still a wonderful feeling. I don’t want to give up that feeling just yet.’
The neurosurgeon who operated on Rust was Dr. Wendell Lake who performed the surgery in November 2022. During the procedure, Rust would have to stay awake, so he asked the doctor if he could bring the trombone into the operating room.
It had been a first for Lake, other patients had brought in writing tablets but never a musical instrument.
In the video, Rust doesn’t actually blow into the instrument to produce sound. Instead, he pushes out the trombone’s outer slide while doctors watched to see if the tremors in his hand were being fixed during the operation.
The surgery required Rust to stay awake so he asked Lake if he could bring the trombone into the operating room. PICTURED: Dr. Wendall Lake (left) and Brian Rust (right)
Using the trombone Rust was playing as a visual indicator, doctors were able to adjust the position for the wires and how much electrical current to use to steady his hand. PICTURED: Rust playing with his dancing band Six Thirty Sharp
Rust’s surgery was a success and he is now performing regularly with his dancing band Six Thirty Sharp in McFarland, Wisconsin
Lake asks Rust questions to test what he feels throughout the video.
‘Are you feeling any of that coldness or tingling in your hand at all Brian?’
By seeing Rust operate the trombone, the doctors were able to adjust the position of the wires and how much electrical current to use to steady his hand.
The specific type of operation that Rust had is called a deep brain stimulation which is a surgical procedure that uses electric stimulation to address neurological disorders.
Typically, wires are connected to a neurostimulator which generates electricity. Then it’s implanted under the person’s collarbone, similar to a heart pacemaker.
Once connected, the electric current from the neurostimulator passes through the wires and into the brain.
Doctors will then program it to deliver an electrical signal, a few weeks after the initial surgery.
This surgery is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and tremors, according to John Hopkins Medicine.
Rust has a smartphone that controls the neurostimulator inserted below his collarbone. It has two settings – one for everyday function and the other to play his trombone.
Rust is now performing regularly with his dancing band Six Thirty Sharp in McFarland, Wisconsin.
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