Several dozen face and hand transplants have already been performed separately, but the two previous known simultaneous transplants have ended in failure.
In the case of Joe DiMeo, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, the 11 p.m. operation performed on August 12 did not present any complications and the patient, who attended a press conference on Wednesday, is in good health.
3rd degree burnt
Victim of a swerve after falling asleep at the wheel of his vehicle in July 2018, he had been burned in the third degree on 80% of the surface of his body, including losing lips and eyelids.
WARNING: pay attention to the harshness of some images before the operation, which may shock sensitive people:
During the approximately 20 operations carried out thereafter, the surgeons had also amputated several phalanges.
But even after this series of interventions, “the only possibility that he would regain a good quality of life was to consider a face and hand transplant”, explained Dr Eduardo Rodriguez, in charge of the project, during a presentation. virtual press conference.
One hundred people involved
With the help of a local association, Gift of Life, a suitable deceased donor has been identified. The operation required six different surgical teams and nearly 100 people in total.
Released from the hospital after several months of convalescence, the young man can already carry out many everyday gestures with his hands.
The operation “gives me a second chance at life,” Joe DiMeo explained at the press conference. “I can’t wait to get back to work.”
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