>

Awake Kidney Transplants: The Future of Transplantation?

Could awake kidney transplants become the norm?

Patients are now able to undergo kidney transplants without general anesthesia.

In a groundbreaking development, surgeons at Northwestern Medicine have successfully transplanted a kidney while the patient was awake. This new procedure, known as awake kidney transplantation, has the potential to revolutionize the field of transplantation.

Traditional kidney transplants require patients to undergo general anesthesia, which can be risky for patients with certain medical conditions. Awake kidney transplantation, on the other hand, is performed under local anesthesia, which allows patients to remain awake and alert during the procedure.

Awake kidney transplantation offers a number of advantages over traditional transplantation, including:

• Reduced risk of complications
• Faster recovery time
• Less pain
• Lower cost

Awake kidney transplantation is still in its early stages, but the results of the Northwestern Medicine study are promising. If further studies confirm the benefits of awake kidney transplantation, this new procedure could become the norm for kidney transplantation.