Highlights:
- A single spinal anesthetic injection was used during this procedure.
- The 28-year-old patient said he felt no pain during the procedure and was discharged the next day.
Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine Hospital have performed the first kidney transplant in the United States with the patient awake during the procedure, the hospital announced in a press release.
“To our knowledge, this is the first time in the United States that a patient has been conscious throughout a kidney transplant operation. It was a great experience in the operating room to show the patient what his new kidney looked like before it was placed in his body.” Satish Nadig, MD “Our hope is that awake kidney transplantation will reduce some of the risks of general anesthesia and shorten patients' hospital stays,” Dr. John Myers, transplant surgeon and director of Northwestern Medicine's Comprehensive Transplant Center, said in a statement.
The surgery was performed by Mr Nadig on May 24th. Vinayak Lohan, MD transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD The anesthesiologist and chief of regional anesthesia and acute pain services at Northwestern Memorial Hospital completed the surgery in less than two hours.
According to a press release, the procedure was performed using a single injection of spinal anesthesia, similar to that used during a C-section, rather than standard general anesthesia.
“Anesthesia for an awake kidney transplant was simpler than for a C-section,” Dr. Thomas said in a statement, adding, “Awake kidney transplants not only help patients who are concerned about the risks or fears of general anesthesia, but also allow them to spend less time in hospital and recover more comfortably at home.”
The 28-year-old patient did not report any pain during the procedure and was discharged the next day. The researchers selected the patient because of his young age and few risk factors, according to the statement.
Northwestern Medicine will launch the Accelerated Kidney Transplant Without General Anesthesia (AWAKE) program for patients who cannot tolerate general anesthesia or who are at high risk for general anesthesia, it was announced.
reference:
Northwestern Medicine surgeons perform the first known awake kidney transplant with next day discharge. https://news.nm.org/northwestern-medicine-performs-the-first-known-awake-kidney-transplant-with-next-day-discharge/. Published June 24, 2024. Accessed June 25, 2024.
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