Transplant surgeons at Northwestern Medicine in Illinois have performed what is thought to be the first awake kidney transplant in the US, with patient John Nicholas (28) watching in real time as surgeons removed his old kidney and inserted a new one, donated by a friend.
New Scientist reports that instead of administering general anaesthesia, which is the default for such an operation, doctors gave a spinal anaesthesia, similar to that used during Caesarean sections. The transplant took less than two hours.
Nicholas was completely aware during his surgery, but experienced “no sensation whatsoever” and was able to talk to surgeons about the different milestones they reached during the procedure.
He was discharged the next day, walking out of the hospital. The normal stay there for kidney transplant patients is two to three days.
This new option may increase access to transplantation for people who are at high risk of complications from general anaesthesia, while also decreasing time spent in hospital, said his medical team.
YouTube video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsW-hjmGcPk&t=123s
New Scientist article – First ever US kidney transplant performed on an awake patient (Open access)
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