First U.S. face transplant performed on woman

William Atkins
Thursday, 18 December 2008 21:46

Science - Biology

The Cleveland Clinic announces that it has performed the first face transplant within the United States, a 22-hour surgical procedure that replaced approximately 80% of the patient’s face. It is considered the world’s most extensive facial transplant to date.



A discussion of the near-total face transplant procedure by the leader of the surgical team is found on YouTube.

A team of eight Cleveland Clinic surgeons (thirty members in all) has performed the first near-total face transplant in the United States.

Announced on Wednesday, December 17, 2008, the procedure was performed in Cleveland, Ohio, several weeks earlier. A deceased woman’s face was donated for the operation.

The unidentified American woman receiving the transplant had suffered a major facial trauma to the middle portion of her face. For her privacy, no details about the woman’s identify are being revealed.

However, it was noted that damage was so severe to her face that she could not smell and had difficulty speaking. The women could also not eat. In order to breathe a tracheotomy tube had been inserted into her neck.

The procedure replaced virtually everything on her face except for her forehead, lower lip, chin, and upper eyelids.

The team leader was Dr. Maria Siemionow, director of plastic surgery research at the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Siemionow commented about the women and her disfigured face: "She was really suffering whenever she appeared in a social situation, was called names, children were afraid of her, were running away. The patient was brave, and she was very stable and facing the world. However, it became very difficult for her just to go outside of her house.” [Chicago Tribune: “U.S. surgeons complete face transplant”]

The surgical process is described briefly on page two, along with comments on how the patient is doing after the operation.