| ■ Boston Hospital Performs U.S.'s 2nd Partial-Face Transplant | 2009.04.13 |
| Surgeons at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital performed the nation's 2nd partial-face transplant, a 17-hour operation to replace a man's nose, palate, upper lip, some skin, muscles and nerves, after a freak accident had disfigured him, the Associated Press reported Friday. Hospital spokesman Kevin Myron said the man's injuries occurred several years ago and left him with difficulty speaking, eating and drinking. The skin and organs came from a donor who had agreed to help other patients as well, according to the AP. Plastic surgeon Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who led the surgical team, said the man had "no teeth, no palate, no nose, no lip," according to the AP. The transplant recipient, whose name was not released, was still recovering Friday. The donor's name was also withheld. The first face transplant in the United States was done at the Cleveland Clinic in December when doctors replaced 80 percent of a woman's face, the AP reported. |