US's first facial transplant is done in Cleveland
 

A woman so horribly disfigured she was willing to risk her life to do something about it has undergone the nation's first near-total face transplant, the Cleveland Clinic announced Tuesday.

Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow and a team of other specialists replaced 80 percent of the woman's face with that of a female cadaver a couple of weeks ago in a bold and controversial operation certain to stoke the debate over the ethics of such surgery.

The patient's name and age were not released, and the hospital said her family wanted the reason for her transplant to remain confidential. The hospital plans a news conference Wednesday and would not give details until then.

The transplant was the fourth worldwide; two have been done in France, and one was performed in China.

Details of the Cleveland surgery were not disclosed, but surgeons generally transplant skin, facial nerves and muscle, and often other deep tissue. That is done so that the new face will actually function and not just be a mask.

Surgeons not connected to the case reacted cautiously since little was known about the circumstances, but they generally praised the operation.

"There are patients who can benefit tremendously from this. It's great that it happened," said Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, a surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston who plans to offer face transplants, too.

Dr. Laurent Lantieri, a plastic surgeon at Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier Hospital, near Paris, who did a face transplant on a man disfigured by a rare genetic disease, said: "This is very good news for all of us that doctors in the U.S. have done this."

Unlike operations involving vital organs like hearts and livers, transplants of faces or hands are done to improve quality of life — not extend it. Recipients run the risk of deadly complications and must take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent organ rejection, raising their odds of cancer and many other problems.

Arthur Caplan, a leading bioethicist who has expressed grave concerns in the past about such surgery, withheld judgment on the Cleveland case but said the woman's doctors should give her the option of assisted suicide if they wind up making her life worse.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/...ace_transplant

Does anyone question the ethics of this type of surgery?

Are you ok with this being done?

Would you ever consider doing this if your face was disfigured?

Any other thoughts or opinions on this?

Ethics: In a society where we have breast implants that resemble torpedoes, um...nah!

Yes, I'm ok with this being done IF it is done for disfigurement. Not to change to looks of a serial killer, who is trying to evade law enforcement.

If I was disfigured (and I don't mean my big nose), most certainly if it would improve my quality of life.

Other thoughts...with a Football team like the Browns, sucky weather, and unemployment rates so high, Cleveland needs something to shout out about.

O wow....and why was the same thing just said on Fox 5 news about this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rss=rss_sports

Well they could always shout about the Cleveland Clinic. When you have the best cardiologists (and other categories of doctors) in your hospital, that's a good thing.

Yes. In Cleveland, health care rules.
Daemon, your link opens up to the Viking's 60-foot dunk of Syracuse (ok, one other thing for Cleveland to shout out about)

hey with the season the browns are having it's nice to brag about something great in sports :) We also have the cavs.

In all honesty though I think a lot of people in Cleveland don't realize what a big thing the Clinic is because for a lot of us it's kind of always been there (at least for those of us who are younger). It's only at times like when my grandfather needed heart surgery that I remember how amazing the Clinic is with different things. Or when you hear about them doing more groundbreaking surgeries and stuff.

Is this facial transplant different than a facial reconstruction---like what they did to that lady who got shot in the face?

Yes. I believe on the outset, facial reconstruction uses mostly your own tissues. Facial transplant is exactly that...using someone else's tissue and muscle (their face) to replace your onw.

Think Face/Off

Ahhhh ok...yeah that makes sense now! And yeah, totally different than that lady.

You also have the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the flats. (Are the flats still fun?)

Actually, one of our sisters in in promotions at the Rock Hall.

The flats are having trouble. The East Bank was leveled for development that is now on hold. The West Bank has a couple of fun places (mostly warm weather places) and a coupld of strip joints.

The Flats moved to the Warehouse District, and is now further up the road to East 4th. This is where Michael Simon has his restaurant, the House of Blues, etc. The problem with the Cleveland are is many people REFUSE to go downtown, unless to a game or dinner.

Johanna has had several reconstructive surgeries. Daemen is correct; her face was not "off"

When my mother had valve repair, Dr. Cosgrove (now CEO of the Cleveland Clinic) did her surgery. I don't think she appreciated the fact that he developed the surgery.

Aside from CCF, we also have University Hospital, which is one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country. Rainbow Babies is ranked second in the US, and UH is ranked very high in 5 other specialties.

Details of Surgery
 

http://blog.cleveland.com/medical/20...ls_of_cle.html

"The patient, a woman who was not identified, had suffered severe facial trauma several years earlier. Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic replaced about 80 percent of her face. (The Clinic has provided an online graphic demonstrating the procedure.)
Only the woman's upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left -- the rest of her face was replaced with one donated from a female cadaver The donor also was not identified.
Departing from regular protocol governing organ donation consent, hospital and organ donation officials sought approval from the donor's family to use her facial tissue before going ahead with the surgery."

Wasn't Rainbow Babies supposed to do the separation of twins who were older? I can't remember how old? But because of where they were joined at decided not to do it? I just vaguely remember that story because the article I read about it said something about how our Rainbow Babies was like the only hospital that would even consider doing it or something. I think they were from Egypt...