Medical innovations occur every day in various fields. For instance, wearable technology that assists with monitoring vital signs and blood glucose is a recent innovation that makes the ongoing treatment of severe illness easier.

There are also rapid innovations in the field of medicine thanks to accelerated MSN programs online, as well as the field of surgery, such as in the case of a Chicago man who underwent a wide-awake kidney transplant. But what does this mean, and what are the impacts on anesthesia risks? This informative article will go over the news and discuss the benefits of this kind of surgery, so continue reading to learn more. 

John Nicholas Undergoes Wide Awake Surgery for Kidney Transplant

For the first time in Northwestern Medicine treatment facilities, surgeons have performed a complete kidney transplant operation while the patient remained wide awake. The man, John Nicholas of Chicago, remained awake throughout the procedure and was discharged safely to his home the following day.

In an incredible feat of modern medicine, the patient, Mr. Nicholas, felt no pain during the procedure and was able to return home within 24 hours of the operation. 

How did they achieve this, you might ask? The answer lies in innovations in anesthesia. During a typical surgery, a patient undergoes a general anesthetic, which renders them unconscious for the operation. In this case, the doctors used a spinal anesthesia shot, similar to those that women in labour receive for pain relief. 

This is major news because it could open the door for increased access to transplantation procedures that have a high-risk factor for general anesthesia, as in some cases, death is a probable outcome for high-risk patients. 

Furthermore, this method of surgery also decreases the duration of a patient’s hospital stay during the recovery phase, freeing up a bed for another patient.

“This is the first case at Northwestern Medicine where a patient was awake during an entire kidney transplant procedure and went home the next day, basically making this an outpatient procedure. Our hope is that awake kidney transplantation can decrease some of the risks of general anesthesia while also shortening a patient’s hospital stay,” says Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, expert transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center. “Inside the operating room, it was an incredible experience being able to show a patient what their new kidney looked like before placing it inside the body.”

The surgery occurred on May 24, performed by Dr. Nadig and Dr Vincete Garcia Thomas, the anesthesiologist who supervised the anesthesia process. 

“Doing anesthesia for the awake kidney transplant was easier than many C-sections,” says Dr. Garcia Tomas. “For John’s case, we placed a spinal anesthesia 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 anesthesia, but it can help shorten their hospital stay so they can recover more comfortably at home.”

Mr. Nicholas had his own reflections on the trailblazing surgical procedure. “It was a pretty cool experience to know what was happening in real-time and be aware of the magnitude of what they were doing,” said Nicholas. “At one point during surgery, I recall asking, ‘Should I be expecting the spinal anesthesia to kick in?’ They had already been doing a lot of work, and I had been completely oblivious to that fact. Truly, 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.”

After a successful surgery on May 24, Mr. Nicholas was discharged the next day and walked out of the hospital on May 25. The normal hospitalization for patients who undergo a kidney transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital is typically 2-3 days.

Best Friend Donates Kidney

Around age 16, Nicholas’ kidney issues began following a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, a debilitating gastrointestinal disease. While the root cause was never discovered, testing revealed a decline in kidney function and inflammation, causing serious damage. 

While he was able to avoid dialysis and manage his kidney issues with medication, his condition deteriorated after a move to Chicago, and the need for a transplant became apparent. However, there were some initial challenges in finding a suitable donor. While his mother planned it to start with, she was unable to do so after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Nicholas then reached out to his close group of elementary school friends, and his best friend, 29-year-old Pat Wise, answered the call.

“I have been blessed with a friend group that has stayed together from such a young age,” Nicholas said in the official release. “We always called ourselves ‘ride or die’ friends, and this example shows that we have each other’s backs. It meant the world to me. It’s truly been life-changing.”

The Benefits of Wide Awake Surgery for Patients and Hospitals

Doctors hope that awake kidney transplantation and other awake transplantation surgeries could help decrease some of the major risks of general anesthesia while also shortening a patient’s hospital stay. This would have many benefits, including a decreased risk of an adverse event during surgery and even death.

Shorter hospital stays are also a net benefit to a hospital, the patient and other patients. It means decreased resource load for hospitals as they can discharge patients earlier, saving money on treatment costs. The patient can also return home sooner and get back to their life with a shorter recovery period. Insurance companies can also save money on hospital stays, with the flow-on benefits to insurance customers. 

Hopefully, this innovative surgical procedure will pave the way in the future for more awake surgeries, allowing high-risk patients to undergo life-changing procedures and freeing up vital and valuable hospital resources. 

Amazing Wide Awake Surgery Saves Patient

As you can see from this article, this incredible feat of modern medicine has potentially saved a life and blazed a trail for future awake transplantation operations, which benefit patients, hospitals, and the economy.