World’s First Full Face Transplant a Huge Success
Posted Mon, Apr 26, 2010 by Juan Pablo
Accidents that mangled facial features are devastating to victims because they leave scars that run deep not only physically but also emotionally. Sometimes the damage is so severe that patients find it difficult to assume their normal lives because of fear of shame and ridicule from society. That is why it is a groundbreaking day for the medical field as top doctors performed an unprecedented operation with tremendous success that could revolutionize operations worldwide. For the first time in history, a team of medical experts and scientists have attempted a full facial transplant and not just minor facial reconstruction and alterations by beauty experts and professionals. And their success paved the way for surgeries to repair facial injuries and could spark a Renaissance period for the field of medicine.
A team of 30 Spanish doctors for Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona decided to take on the case of the victim of a gunshot accident. The anonymous patient accidentally shot his face back in 2005, completely destroying his face from his eye sockets downward. Good thing that his eyes and optical nerves were spared from the accident but his badly mangled face was beyond recognition. He underwent psychological tests to make sure that he is emotionally and psychologically prepared for a new face and possibly a new identity. And when he passed all the tests with flying colors, the team of professionals prepared for the delicate and revolutionary procedure.
The 20-hour surgery started with the initial phase, four hours of removing the complete face from the dead donor including veins, arteries, skin, muscles and bones. Half way through the procedure another small team anesthetized the patient and removed the crude skin grafts on his face. Then the final stage began which includes implanting the face to the patient as well as blood vessels using microvascular surgery to stitch them together properly. After the operation, the patient seemed satisfied with his new face but he will still be kept in the hospital for two months for further tests.
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