Health
Chicago man receives kidney transplant while fully awake, goes home very next day
Kidney transplants are not uncommon — the kidney is actually the most frequently transplanted organ in the U.S. — but a Chicago man recently received his in a highly unusual way.
John Nicholas, 28, was awake during the entire procedure, which was performed on May 24 at Northwestern Medicine Hospital. He was discharged the very next day.
Doctors administered a spinal anesthesia shot — similar to what is used for a Cesarean section — instead of general anesthesia, according to a press release from the hospital.
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“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,” said Satish Nadig, M.D., PhD, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, in the release.
“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,” he added.
John Nicholas, the patient, is pictured with his surgeons in the operating room after completion of the kidney transplant. (Northwestern Medicine)
“It was incredibly simple and uneventful.”
This type of “awake transplant” could reduce surgical risks and shorten the length of the patient’s hospitalization, doctors say.
“It was an incredible experience, being able to show a patient what their new kidney looked like before placing it inside the body.”
It could also increase access to care for patients who are considered high-risk or have phobias surrounding general anesthesia.
Ideal candidate
Nicholas’ surgery took about two hours, according to the hospital.
He was considered an ideal patient for awake surgery due to his young age, his otherwise good health and his “eagerness to participate,” per the release.
John Nicholas is pictured awake during his kidney transplant in late May. (Northwestern Medicine)
“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 in a statement to Northwestern.
“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.”
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Although Nicholas did receive sedation for comfort, he said he was still aware of what was going on.
“Especially when they called out my name and told me about certain milestones they had reached,” he noted.
Nicholas, center, is pictured after surgery with Dr. Vicente Garcia Tomas, his anesthesiologist, at left, and Dr. Nadig, transplant surgeon, at right. (Northwestern Medicine)
Nicholas walked out of the hospital on May 25, the day after surgery.
With typical kidney transplants, the recipient remains in the hospital for two to three days.
Saved by a friend
Nicholas’ kidney issues began at age 16 when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, the release stated.
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After a few years of managing the condition with medication, his kidney function worsened and he required a transplant.
Nicholas’ mother originally planned to donate her kidney, but a breast cancer diagnosis prevented her from doing so, the hospital relayed.
Nicholas, at left, is pictured with his donor and best friend, Pat Wise, after surgery. (Northwestern Medicine)
It was Nicholas’ best friend from elementary school, 29-year-old Pat Wise in Alexandria, Virginia, who ultimately donated the life-saving kidney.
‘Another tool in our toolbelt’
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the surgery but shared his input.
“My opinion is that in most cases, spinal anesthesia presents a reasonable alternative for those at high risk of general anesthesia complications,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Nicholas is pictured awake with his care team during his kidney transplant surgery. (Northwestern Medicine)
“Having said that, general anesthesia would be preferred whenever possible for major surgery like this,” said Dr. Siegel, “because control of the airway and breathing is essential, and is much easier if the patient is asleep and on the ventilator.”
The doctors at Northwestern credit the patient for helping to advance the field of transplant medicine.
Nicholas, left, and donor Wise are pictured at a press conference after the surgery. (Northwestern Medicine)
“When John agreed to be the first known patient at Northwestern Medicine to undergo an awake kidney transplant and be discharged home the next day, he knew the benefits outweighed the risks, and … he’s now helping to move the field of transplantation forward,” said Vinayak Rohan, M.D., transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in the release.
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“He is an extremely compliant patient who was in tune with his body and willing to push the envelope,” stressing that the patient had faith in the doctors and they, in turn, had faith in him.
Nicholas, center, is pictured with his entire care team. “He’s now helping to move the field of transplantation forward,” a surgeon said about the patient. (Northwestern Medicine)
The hospital now plans to establish the AWAKE Program (Accelerated Surgery Without General Anesthesia in Kidney Transplantation) for patients who want or need to pursue surgery without general anesthesia.
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“It really opens up a whole new door and is another tool in our toolbelt for the field of transplantation,” Nadig added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Northwestern Medical for additional input.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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