health
First face transplant performed using donor who received euthanasia
The Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, successfully performed the world's first face transplant using a donor who had requested euthanasia. The operation, considered unprecedented in the history of medicine, restored facial function to Carme, a woman who suffered severe necrosis following a bacterial infection.
TL;DR
- Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona performed the world's first face transplant using a donor who opted for euthanasia.
- The procedure restored facial function to Carme, a patient with necrosis caused by a bacterial infection.
- The operation involved approximately 100 medical professionals and utilized neurovascular microsurgery techniques.
- The transplant aimed to restore not only appearance but also functionality and sensation, allowing the patient to speak, eat, and breathe normally.
- Face transplants are considered experimental, with strict selection criteria for candidates and a need for lifelong immunosuppression.
- Spain, and specifically Vall d'Hebron Hospital, is a leader in facial transplant surgery, having performed six such operations.
- This case is unique because it involved a donor who specifically requested their face be donated after euthanasia.