Calgary doctor performs spine surgery on conscious patient
(A previous version of this story stated this procedure was believed to have been the first of its kind performed in Canada, based on information provided by Alberta Health Services. That belief was genuine, but incorrect – spine surgery on awake patients has been performed previously in Canada over the years, albeit infrequently. CTV Calgary has revised this story and apologizes for any confusion caused.)
A Calgary doctor who recently performed a spinal surgery on an awake patient hopes to expand this technique in Alberta to ease pressure on the health-care system.
"This is just the first step of a long journey that we have, the plan that we have to help more Albertans," said Dr. Michael Yang, a spine surgeon at Foothills Medical Centre.
Last month, Yang performed a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc in the spine, on a patient who was conscious.
Todd Bene, the man on the operating table, got the surgery to relieve his chronic lower back and leg pain.
"I thought, well, I'll try anything once," he said. "It was kind of cool. You know, I didn't feel much. Every once in a while, you would feel a little something."
The surgery took about 55 minutes and Todd Bene was able to go home less than five hours later.
The surgery took about 55 minutes and Bene was able to go home less than five hours later. The next day, he was up cooking breakfast for his grandkids and even made a trip to IKEA.
"It was just night and day for the pain," he said. "I was just so surprised when I got up the first time after the surgery and also standing up straight."
Bene had a previous heart attack, heart failure and coronary artery disease, so Yang thought putting him under general anesthetic would be too risky.
Instead, he chose to perform the surgery without it and only with a local anesthetic — something he learned while studying at the University of Miami.
"The patients have less pain after surgery, less nausea, less vomiting after surgery. Patients are able to get up much quicker and walk around and thereby, facilitating their recovery," Yang said.
"Also, without general anesthetic, it causes less stress on the heart and lungs, so there's less risk of developing complications during the operation."
Todd Bene, who has been dealing with chronic lower back and leg pain, was wide awake for a discectomy to remove the damaged part of a herniated disc.
The surgical team and neuroanesthesiologists worked together to sedate Bene just enough so it wouldn't hurt and he'd be able to communicate if it did.
"So we minimize the harm that we could potentially cause on a patient during the surgery," Yang said. "The surgery itself is not super innovative, but it's putting a team together to be able to do it awake that is innovative."
Yang says he plans to perform more procedures, and hopes to use this method for more complex surgeries, like spinal fusions.
He says spinal fusions, surgery to connect two or more bones in any part of the spine, typically require a two-to-three-day hospital stay, but with this method, the patient could go home the same day.
"This can really help reduce health-care utilization while maintaining excellent outcomes for our patients and be able to help more Albertans get the surgery they need in a more timely fashion," Yang said.
Dr. Michael Yang hopes the surgery on Todd Bene will create opportunities to perform more complex surgeries — like spinal fusions — using this technique.
However, Yang warns "awake surgery" isn’t for everyone. He advises against doing it on patients who are obese, have anxiety or require a longer surgery because there can be more risks.
Meanwhile, Bene has been off work for six weeks and is about to start physiotherapy. He has advice for other patients:
"Just don't be scared of it. It'll change your life."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.