Texas man receives full face transplant

A 25-year-old man from Texas has become the first person in the US to receive a full face transplant.

A team of more than 50 surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists and other staff worked for more than 15 hours to replace the nose, lips, facial skin, muscles of facial animation and nerves of Dallas Wiens.

Mr Wiens lost most of his facial features in November 2008, when his head came into contact with a high voltage power cable which left him in a coma for three months.

The doctors hope that the surgery will improve Mr Wien's speech as well as his ability to eat and breathe. It should also give him a degree of sensation in his face, most of which was lost after the accident, but will not be able to restore his sight.

Before the operation Mr Wiens said: "Not being able to be kissed by my daughter is frustrating. If she kisses me I hear it and can feel some pressure but I can't really feel her kiss."

The surgery was performed at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The hospital had previously carried out a partial-face transplant on a man in April 2009. Two other people are on the hospital's waiting list for a face transplant, including a woman from Connecticut who was mauled by a friend's adult chimpanzee.

Mr Wien's new face will not resemble that of the donor, the doctors said, as it will mostly be determined by his underlying facial bones and muscle.

The name of the donor has not been released by the hospital. In the US, organs can be transplanted from anyone registered as a donor, but the consent of a donor's family is also needed before a full face transplant can go ahead.

Betsy Nabel, president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital said: “The pioneering achievement accomplished by the entire transplant team is a gift made possible by the most selfless act one human being can do for another, organ donation.”

This article was published on Tue 22 March 2011