CHICAGO — For the first time at Northwestern Medicine, surgeons performed a kidney transplant while the recipient was still awake.

Chicago resident John Nicholas successfully received a kidney transplant and was able to walk out of the hospital the next day thanks to the groundbreaking procedure.

It was the first time at Northwestern Medicine that surgeons performed this kind of procedure while the patient was fully conscious.

“It took less than two hours and John was discharged and able to walk out of the hospital 24 hours later, a normal hospital stay at Northwestern Medicine is about two to three days, and nationally about five to seven days,” Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and Director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center said.

Doctors used a single-spinal anesthesia shot, similar to what is used for cesarean sections.

The option could soon open the door to increased access to transplantation for patients who are at high risk of undergoing general anesthesia.

“Now on the other hand, when patients receive general anesthesia they’re under a lot more medication, it requires intubation and is overall more invasive than an injection in the back,” Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, anesthesiologist and Chief of Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital said.

The 28-year-old patient said he felt great immediately after the procedure.

“I’ve been up and walking and all that, really since the first day after the surgery,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas has also been cleared to eat his favorite food again, pizza, which was delivered by a very special surprise guest, his best friend and kidney donor who traveled from Virginia.

It is a life-saving surgery that could soon become life-changing for even more patients in need.

“To give an incredible gift to a friend is always a good feeling in your heart and the fact that it contributed to this incredible medical advancement is just kind of the icing on the cake really, kidney donor Pat Wise said.

Nicholas said before the transplant, he had to limit his salt intake. He is now looking forward to enjoying pizza and having more energy to ride his bike around Chicago.