ABC Health Insider
The ABC News Medical Unit takes a critical look at the popular medical news of the day.
The Medical Unit is responsible for making recommendations to ABC News programs about coverage of medical stories, writing a daily "Medical Minute" that is sent to ABC-affiliated stations, producing a daily health program on ABC News Now, and overseeing the Health page of ABCNews.com.
RECENT POSTS
- How Can the Flu Kill You?
- Facing America's Doctor Disparity
- No End in Sight for Peanut Product Recalls
- Dr. Tim: Inside the White House Forum on Health Care
- Health Policy Experts Mull Impact of Wyeth Ruling
- Health Coverage for All -- Is It on the Way?
- This Is Your Brain on Envy
- Is a Virus Making You Obese? Fat Chance
- Video Gamers May Be 'Virtually' on Their Own
- Think Birth Control Pills Are Dangerous? Try Pregnancy
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
« Previous | Main | Next »
Cleveland Clinic Joins Face Race With Near-Total Face Transplant Success
December 16, 2008 2:14 PM
By DAN CHILDS and KIRK FERNANDES, ABC News Medical UnitIn a surgical first for the United States, a team of eight surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic have performed a near-total facial transplant on a patient.
Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow led the team that, according to a press release from the hospital, replaced 80 percent of a trauma patient's face. The Associated Press reports that the surgery, which took place two weeks ago, repaired the face of a female patient using facial tissue from a dead female donor.
At this moment it does not appear likely that the public will see the mysterious patient's new face anytime soon. According to the release, the patient and her family wish to remain anonymous and will not be present at Wednesday's news conference. They also will not be available for interviews with the media.
Until three years ago, face transplants existed solely in the realm of science fiction. That changed in November 2005 when Frenchwoman Isabelle Dinoire became the first recipient of a partial face transplant.
Since then, two similar operations have taken place. In April 2006, Chinese surgeons replaced part of the face of a farmer who had been attacked by a bear, and in January 2007, another team of French doctors repaired the face of a man who had suffered a disfiguring facial condition.
But while the Cleveland Clinic team may have come in fourth in the international "face race," an interview Siemionow gave to ABC News' Martin Bashir in February 2006 reveals that the operation was years in the making.
At the time, Siemionow said her team was still narrowing down a field of 15 potential patients to find an ideal case.
"We are considering trauma patients and burn patients and severely burned patients," Siemionow told Bashir of the candidates. She added that only patients with severe facial injuries, such as those who could not open or close their eyes or mouths, would be considered.
Siemionow also revealed to Bashir her thoughts on the importance of such an operation during the interview, noting that a face transplant could be "as important as giving a new life to someone.”
"I would say for someone to work, happy, alive, that this is as important as it would be to have a new heart," she said. "This procedure calls for a very selected group of patients who are so badly disfigured that they are really having no life. And for them, it's not only quality of life, but it's a new life."
December 16, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (27)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Amazing!!
Posted by: Monica | Dec 16, 2008 3:22:18 PM
Does anyone else find this a bit creepy?I mean good for them, a new life and all, but I find it a bit creepy.
Posted by: Kristy | Dec 16, 2008 3:43:47 PM
I will love to see the fine art and professional work done by Medical team
Posted by: Sohail | Dec 16, 2008 3:55:29 PM
Great!
Posted by: Joe Average | Dec 16, 2008 4:04:04 PM
a great advancement in medical history .it is a great thing for serverly disfiggured or injured people . now the movie Face-off is a reality......lets hope this advancement remains used for the purpose it was intended to be used for..
Posted by: harold | Dec 16, 2008 4:10:04 PM
This does sound kind of creepy, but I suppose it's not different from using donated organs or tissue for other purposes. It really is sci-fi stuff, never thought I'd see it in my lifetime. That, and the movie "Face Off" with Cage and Travolta was VERY misleading!
Posted by: Mika | Dec 16, 2008 4:14:15 PM
lol, btw Harold I posted my "Face Off" comment before I saw yours. lol, guess we were thinking along the same lines.
Posted by: Mika | Dec 16, 2008 4:15:03 PM
AMAZING WHAT THEY CAN DO .I PRAY IT IS A SUCCESS IN EVERY-WAY.
SNEAKYPETE
Posted by: SNEAKYPETE | Dec 16, 2008 4:24:16 PM
Kudos to the transplant team!!! And my prayers go out to the patient and her family that she has a good recovery and her body does not reject the transplant. God bless all who were a part of this that made it a reality.
Posted by: alioth | Dec 16, 2008 4:41:20 PM
This means there's hope for George Clooney!
Posted by: Dave | Dec 16, 2008 4:56:07 PM
Creepy? I find disfiguring creepy...anything to correct the condition is nothing short of a miracle!!!
Posted by: miamimice | Dec 16, 2008 5:39:04 PM
Its a great accomplishment, but what if the family (kids) of the donor see the person who had the transplant
Posted by: vinceb1984 | Dec 16, 2008 5:57:33 PM
vince1984: When you have a face transplant, you do not take on the features of the donor. Your features are defined by your bone structure and musculature beneath the skin. I see what you're saying, but the family of the donor won't see their daughter/wife/mother's face on another person if that's what you mean.
If you Google "Isabelle Dinoire", or just try searching Images with that name, you can see the before and after pictures of the recipient of a partial transplant. The results are pretty astounding, and I'm glad that people suffering disfigurements can have hope.
Posted by: Mika | Dec 16, 2008 6:44:36 PM
"Its a great accomplishment, but what if the family (kids) of the donor see the person who had the transplant"
The skin will take on the form of the underlying bone structure, it won't be as if this person would be a twin of the donor.
Posted by: sueh | Dec 16, 2008 6:48:18 PM
While I respect the patient's desire for privacy, I wish that the medical team would release some more information about this groundbreaking operation--maybe a diagram showing the area of face that was transplanted? This is amazing news and just shows what incredible advances are being made every day in medical science. Congratulations to the medical team and I hope that the patient makes a full recovery.
Posted by: Luna | Dec 16, 2008 7:01:27 PM
This is an amazing story and gift to the patient who received the transplant. My thoughts go out to the donor family and the incredible decision they made to change this patient's life in a time of incredible tragedy for their own family.
Posted by: Julie | Dec 16, 2008 7:32:21 PM
We are water filled bags of skin. Does this physical reality matter. Try flying on an airplane and you will see humanity as vulnerable as an ant. Earthquakes stomp us out! We dont like cause we like to fry skin on a chicken and eat it. gold figure.
Posted by: Nikko | Dec 16, 2008 8:17:40 PM
Wainting for docs to put a pit bulls face on Cheaney.
WOW it happened!
LOL
Posted by: Tara | Dec 16, 2008 10:35:45 PM
What a groundbreaking event!! I hope the patient is recovering well. I had a major surgery at Cleveland Clinic last year and was very nervous. As I was being wheeled into surgery. There's a sign above a door that says "Through these doors, walk the world's greatest surgeons". My fears were eased immediately. It is truly a magnificant place and has the greatest doctors,nurses and staff.
Posted by: Melissa | Dec 17, 2008 10:07:06 AM
As a person living with a facial disfigurement I have to say this is wonderful! It is amazing how cruel people can be to those that suffer from major trauma and cannot help the way they look. I dislike having to go into public anymore and find myself cooped up in my home not wanting to face the stares and hurtful comments. Good job doctors and shame on anyone that has "ethical" issues with this procedure because you have no idea the pain facial disfigurement causes.
Posted by: Eric | Dec 17, 2008 11:53:48 AM
Post a comment
