Who was the anaesthesiologist in the operating room for the first kidney tranplant

1. Who was the anesthesiologist in the OR — name and role

Northwestern Medicine’s news release and national coverage name Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, as the anesthesiologist present for the awake kidney transplant and identify him as the chief of regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; the hospital statement says Dr. Garcia Tomas “performed the surgery” alongside transplant surgeons ^[2]. CBS News quotes Dr. Garcia Tomas explaining the choice of a spinal anesthetic and his role in monitoring the patient during the procedure ^[1].

2. What makes this case notable — “awake” approach and who else was involved

Reporting emphasizes that the patient, John Nicholas, remained awake under a single-shot spinal anesthetic rather than general anesthesia, and that this technique allowed earlier discharge (less than 24 hours) compared with typical stays ^{[1] [2]}. The hospital release names transplant surgeon Satish Nadig and Vinayak Rohan, MD, among the surgical team and pairs Dr. Garcia Tomas as the anesthesiologist who helped execute the awake protocol ^{[2] [1]}.

3. How the sources frame “first” — limits and local context

Northwestern’s press materials call this “the first case at Northwestern Medicine” of an awake kidney transplant with next‑day discharge; CBS News and the Northwestern release both present it as Northwestern’s first known awake transplant rather than asserting a global or historical first in transplantation ^{[2] [1]}. If you are asking about the first kidney transplant in history (1954 between identical twins), available sources do not address that here — reporting cited focuses on this recent Northwestern case ^{[2] [1]}.

4. Medical rationale cited for the anesthetic choice

Dr. Garcia Tomas is quoted explaining that a spinal anesthetic bypasses some risks associated with general anesthesia and may reduce hospital stay and certain anesthesia‑related complications; Northwestern frames this as a possible option for patients at higher risk from general anesthesia ^{[1] [2]}. Clinical literature about anesthesia in renal transplantation underscores that anesthesiologists play a central role in perioperative care and that anesthesia choices affect outcomes, but those broader reviews are background rather than direct reporting on this single case ^[3].

5. Alternative viewpoints and limitations in the reporting

Coverage is institutionally sourced: Northwestern’s news release and quotes dominate the narrative, which introduces the hospital’s interest in highlighting innovation and shorter stays ^[2]. National outlets like CBS amplify the institution’s claims but do not present independent data on safety or long‑term outcomes of awake kidney transplantation; peer‑reviewed comparative outcomes for this specific awake technique are not provided in the cited pieces ^{[1] [2]}. Available sources do not contain randomized data or multi‑center experience to establish generalizability ^{[1] [2]}.

6. What the record does and does not show — careful distinctions

The sources explicitly identify Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, as the anesthesiologist in the operating room for Northwestern’s May 24, 2024, awake kidney transplant ^{[1] [2]}. The sources do not claim he was the anesthesiologist for the very first kidney transplant in history; documentation of the historical 1954 identical‑twin transplant and its anesthesia team is not discussed in these articles, so “first kidney transplant ever” is not established or contradicted here (not found in current reporting; ^[2]; p1_s3).

7. Bottom line for readers

If your question targets who the anesthesiologist was for the Northwestern Medicine awake kidney transplant reported in 2024, cited coverage names Vicente Garcia Tomas, MD, and describes his leadership role in regional anesthesia for the case ^{[1] [2]}. If you meant a different “first” kidney transplant (historical or elsewhere), available sources do not mention that; further archival or specialty historical sources would be needed to identify anesthesia personnel for earlier landmark transplants ^{[2] [1]}.