A Northwestern Medicine patient underwent a kidney transplant while awake in July, and 36 hours after the painless procedure, he was discharged.
The recipient, 74-year-old Harry Stackhouse, is the second patient at the Chicago-based system to undergo an awake kidney transplant. Instead of using general anesthesia, clinicians injected a spinal anesthetic — a practice that can increase access to patients who face high risks with general anesthesia.
For example, because of Mr. Stackhouse's age, he is at a higher risk of developing "significant cognitive impairment, heart and lung issues and decreased return of their gastrointestinal tract," Northwestern said in an Aug. 7 news release.
Awake kidney transplants can also reduce length of stay, which is normally two to three days. For the first patient, he was discharged within 24 hours.
The system said Mr. Stackhouse could have left within 24 hours, but due to his age, physicians wanted more time to observe him and ensure he was properly hydrated.