2010-04-29 12:39:46

Spanish man receives first-ever full face transplany surgery

1. Spanish man receives first-ever full face transplany surgery

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Written by Queen Muse Collegian Editor

A young man in Madrid gave new meaning to the word makeover last week when he became the first person in the world to receive a full face transplant.

According to reports from the Associated Press, the young man, who was injured in a car accident ,received a new nose, skin, jaws, cheekbones, teeth and other features in an operation conducted by a 30-member medical team. The operation reportedly took 24 hours to complete.

Although there have been 10 other partial face transplants in the world, this latest transplant is clearly the most successful of all.

According to the surgeon who led the team, Dr. Joan Pere Barret, the patient now has a completely new face from his hairline down and only one visible scar. Although he has had to breathe and be fed through tubes since the operation, the patient (whose name has not been released) reportedly viewed his new face in a mirror one week after his operation and said he was satisfied with its appearance.

The news has drawn both excitement and criticism from those in the medical field. While some practitioners have praised the Spanish surgical team for their recent accomplishment, others like Maria Siemionow disagree with the team's use of the terms “full face transplant” in their announcement of the successful surgery.

Siemionow went on to explain that while she acknowledged the surgical team's advances in transplanting teeth and a lower jaw, two areas other surgeons have struggled with, the success of the full transplant was only made possible by prior operations on the patient's face.

Before this latest transplant, he underwent nine other surgeries.

Barret maintains that the operation was indeed full face transplant, restoring all the bones without grafts. Barret told the New York Times, "He has the face of a complete new human being."

The medical and team is now focused on the patient's recovery. They say he is recovering well although he cannot speak, eat or smile.

''He is coming along well," said Barret. "He sits up, he walks in his hospital room and he watches television."
The patient is expected to remain in the hospital for two months.