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In a pioneering medical procedure, John Nicholas, a 28-year-old Chicago resident, received a kidney transplant while remaining fully awake throughout the surgery at Northwestern Medicine on May 24.

Nicholas, who reported feeling no pain during the procedure, was discharged from the hospital just 24 hours later. This represents a notable reduction in hospitalization time compared to the national average of 7 days for kidney transplant patients.

The minimally invasive surgery utilized spinal anesthesia, akin to procedures used in caesarean sections, instead of general anesthesia, NDTV reported. Dr. Satish Nadig, the transplant surgeon, highlighted that performing the surgery with the patient awake allowed it to be conducted on an outpatient basis, a milestone in medical practice.

"Doing anaesthesia for the awake kidney transplant was easier than many C-sections," noted Dr. Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, anesthesiologist and chief of regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

"For John's case, we placed a spinal anaesthesia shot in the operating room with a little bit of sedation for comfort. It was incredibly simple and uneventful, but it allowed John to be awake for the procedure, improving the patient experience. Not only can awake kidney transplantation help patients who have risks or phobias to general anaesthesia, but it can help shorten their hospital stay so they can recover more comfortably at home."

Nicholas, despite having no specific concerns about general anesthesia, was an ideal candidate for the awake procedure due to his age, low-risk profile, and willingness to participate in a medical advancement at Northwestern Medicine.

Reflecting on his experience, Nicholas found it fascinating to witness the surgery in real time and grasp the importance of the procedure. "At one point during surgery, I recall asking,'should I be expecting the spinal anaesthesia to kick in?' They had already been doing a lot of work, and I had been completely oblivious to that fact."

"Truly, there is 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," he said.

Following the successful surgery, Nicholas left the hospital the next day, a notably swift recovery compared to the standard 2-3 days typically required for kidney transplant patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.