Three things to know:
1. The procedure, performed at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., uses a local anesthetic to let surgeons examine a patient’s neurologic condition during surgery.
2. Awake spine surgery helps surgeons ensure that no damage is being done to the patient. It also eliminates the need to use intravenous narcotics and reduces the cost of stay.
3. Earlier in February, Ernest Braxton, MD, became the first surgeon to perform an awake robot-assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in Colorado.
