First human face transplant, Ohio clinic starts screening patients

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Article Date: 01 Nov 2004 - 9:00 PDT

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The Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA, is to start screening patients for what will be the first ever face transplant. A review board has given the clinic permission to carry out the procedure. The permission was granted on October 15th, after ten months of meticulous discussions.

The Cleveland Clinic is the first to be granted permission.

Director of Plastic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Maria Siemionow, said it could be years before they find a suitable patient - someone who has been severely disfigured as a result of burns or disease.

The procedure will use skin and underlying fat from an organ donor.

Dr. Maria Siemionow said "We are at this point ready to begin screening patients. It may not happen in six months or a year. It may not happen in our life, or it may happen sooner than you expect."

This is a risky procedure, says Siemionow. There is a 50% chance the patient will reject the new tissue. The chances of complications are high, she said.

Finding a patient could take a couple of years. Experts say that finding a suitable donor may take even longer.

This procedure has ethical implications, say experts. The operation is not a life saving one - it is, however, risky as the patient could reject the new tissue. In other words, it does not save someone's life, but it could risk someone's life.