Stanley Hoang, MD, performed LSU Health Shreveport's (La.) first awake spine surgery, ABC affiliate KTBS reported March 14.
Dr. Hoang performed a minimally invasive discectomy with local anesthesia, the report said. The patient was numbed from the waist down, and he was able to go home the same day after the anesthesia wore off.
"Awake spine surgery is good for people with issues that preclude having general anesthesia," Dr. Hoang said in the report. "People with severe COPD or severe cardiac failure cannot tolerate having general anesthesia. This would be a great option for them."
Dr. Hoang has been at the forefront of spinal innovation at the hospital. In April 2023 he performed the first robot-assisted single position prone lumbar fusion surgery in Louisiana.