Surgeons perform first known kidney transplant with patient awake during procedure

Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine performed a kidney transplant on an awake patient for what is believed to be the first time in the United States.

The patient, 28-year-old John Nicholas of Chicago, felt no pain during the May 24 procedure and was discharged the next day. Typically a patient is hospitalized for 2-3 days following a kidney transplant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

"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," Nicholas said in a news release, adding he felt "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."