Chicago Man Watches His Kidney Transplant Surgery Live

Twenty-eight-year-old John Nicholas from Chicago underwent an organ transplant while fully awake. A video posted by Northwestern Medicine shows surgeons performing a kidney transplant on him as he interacted with them during the surgical procedures. He witnessed doctors swap his kidney with one from his childhood friend at Northwestern Medicine on May 24.

Contrary to normal general anesthesia, the doctors used spinal anesthesia, a nerve block, and light sedation.

"Administering anesthesia for the awake kidney transplant was easier than many C-sections," said Dr. Garcia Tomas. "For John's case, we administered a spinal anesthesia shot in the operating room with a bit of sedation for comfort. It was incredibly simple and uneventful but allowed John to be awake for the procedure, improving the patient experience. Awake kidney transplantation not only helps patients with risks or phobias related to general anesthesia but also shortens their hospital stay, allowing them to recover more comfortably at home."

Reportedly, the patient felt no pain during the two-hour surgery and was discharged in less than 24 hours after the operation.

"It was a pretty cool experience to know what was happening in real-time and to be aware of the magnitude of what they were doing," said Nicholas. "At one point during the surgery, I recall asking, 'should I be expecting the spinal anesthesia to kick in?' They had already done a lot of work, and I had been completely oblivious to that fact. Truly, no sensation whatsoever. I had received some sedation for my comfort, but I was still aware of what they were doing, especially when they called out my name and informed me about certain milestones they had reached," he explained.

The institute shared the video on X, captioning the post: "A first at Northwestern Medicine! Go inside the operating room and witness surgeons performing a #KidneyTransplant on a patient who was awake for the entire procedure."

"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, essentially making this an outpatient procedure. Our hope is that awake kidney transplantation can decrease some of the risks associated with general anesthesia while also shortening a patient's hospital stay," said Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, in a statement.

"Inside the operating room, it was an incredible experience to be able to show a patient what their new kidney looked like before placing it inside the body," the doctor added.

During a news conference on Monday, according to CBS News, Nicholas was surprised by his childhood best friend-who donated his new kidney.

Nicholas had been dealing with kidney issues since he was 16 years old. Over the years, his kidney function declined, eventually necessitating a transplant. His best friend, 29-year-old Pat Wise, decided to become his donor.

"I was in my kitchen cooking dinner when John sent a message that said, 'my doctor says it's time for me to start looking for kidney donors.' I stared at my phone and without hesitating, filled out the form that night," said Wise. "John is a good friend. He needed a kidney, and I had an extra one. I had to at least explore the possibility of being his donor."