28-year-old John Nicholas became the first known U.S. patient to undergo an awake kidney transplant using spinal anesthesia.

28-year-old John Nicholas became the first known U.S. patient to undergo a kidney transplant while awake. Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine used a spinal injection to anesthetize him, allowing him to remain conscious throughout the procedure. The patient left the hospital the next day, and this new technique could potentially make kidney transplants more accessible to high-risk patients and shorten hospital stays.