The U.S. align themselves with the world's medical elite, by performing their first full successful face transplant yesterday, March 21st. The world's first PARTIAL face transplant was performed in France in 2005, according to government health records. And the first FULL face transplant in the world was done in Spain in 2010.
Media reports said Tuesday that a 25-year-old construction worker, Dallas Weins, from Texas has undergone the first full face transplant done in the United States, after a horrible accident had disfigured him.
A team of more than 30 doctors and nurses from Boston Hospital gave him a new nose, lips, skin, muscles and nerves, during a 15-hour operation. His face had been burned away and he was left blind after hitting a power line while painting a church in November 2008. However, his sight could not be restored.
The U.S. military paid for the operation, as they are very interested in learning how to help soldiers with severe facial wounds.
The Defense Department gave the hospital a $3.4 million research grant for a total of five transplants.
In an Associated Press story and a YouTube video, Wiens spoke about why he wanted a transplant and how he wanted to smile again and feel kisses from his daughter, Scarlette, who will turn 4 next month.
We wish him all the best! More info on Dallas Wiens at www.dallaswiens.com.
From this moment on a new problem will appear as criminals may be interested to change their face not to be recognized. The good news is that we have a lot of tests that can reveal their identity in spite of any face change.
ReplyDeleteMaybe doctors performing such operations should be obliged to notify such changes to the authorities and photos of the pacients should be changed on all their main ID documents.
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