Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine performed a kidney transplant on an awake patient, marking a first for the Chicago-based healthcare system. The patient, 28-year-old John Nicholas, felt no pain during the May 24 procedure and was discharged the next day. Typically a patient is hospitalized for 2-3 days following a kidney transplant. Nicholas said he felt no sensation whatsoever. “I had been given some sedation for my own comfort, but I was still aware of what they were doing, especially when they called out my name and told me about certain milestones they had reached,” said Nicholas. Instead of general anesthesia, doctors used spinal anesthesia, which is similar to what’s used to perform C-sections. Dr. Satish Nadig, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, said it’s their hope that awake kidney transplantation can decrease some of the risks of general anesthesia while shortening a patient’s hospital stay. Now Northwestern Medicine is looking to establish the AWAKE Program (Accelerated Surgery Without General Anesthesia in Kidney Transplantation) for other patients who want a similar operation.
Surgeons Perform Kidney Transplant With Patient Awake During Procedure
Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine performed a kidney transplant on an awake patient, marking a first for the Chicago-based healthcare system. The patient, 28-year-old John Nicholas, felt no pain during the May 24 procedure and was discharged the next day. Typically a patient is hospitalized for 2-3 days following a kidney transplant. Nicholas said he felt no sensation whatsoever. “I had been given some sedation for my own comfort, but I was still aware of what they were doing, especially when they called out my name and told me about certain milestones they had reached,” said Nicholas. Instead of general anesthesia, doctors used spinal anesthesia, which is similar to what’s used to perform C-sections. Dr. Satish Nadig, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, said it’s their hope that awake kidney transplantation can decrease some of the risks of general anesthesia while shortening a patient’s hospital stay. Now Northwestern Medicine is looking to establish the AWAKE Program (Accelerated Surgery Without General Anesthesia in Kidney Transplantation) for other patients who want a similar operation.