http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061128/ap_on_he_me/france_face_transplant
It's been a year now since Isabelle Dinoire received the lips, nose and chin of a brain-dead woman after she was severely disfigured by her pet dog. Though her immune system attempted to reject the transplant, immuno-depressants were sufficient to control the situation. Now a year later, Isabella can speak clearly and make small facial movements. She is gaining control of the muscles of her face more and more, and her sensitivity to touch is rising. The huge success of the first partial-face transplant is raising the hopes of doctors who hope to perform a full facial transplant.
These transplants can be the answer for the countless victims whose faces have been irreparably damaged. This new step in surgery may very well become a common procedure, bringing hope to those who become heavily disfigured.
But one problem brings itself to the forefront, if these procedures continue to be successful, and become mainstream, where will the supply of faces come from? Isabella's face was transplanted live, from a brain-dead woman. Unlike livers and kidneys, the face was not harvested from a fully dead donor.
So, what's next? Will we one day be able to transplant freshly dead faces, hands, and other body parts?
Isn't brain-dead just plain dead? Technically, if your brain is dead you can live. Just thought I'd point that out.
I wonder if those immunosuppressants can be used in other cases, like when an organ must be transplanted. It certainly would cut down on the number of times a certain person must go into surgery because of organs being rejected by their bodies.
Brain-dead is technically dead but the body is still functioning. That's the key difference. There is no proof that a fully- dead corpse's -one that has ceased all bodily functions and is ready for the 6 feet under- face can be transplanted. The face wasn't exactly put on ice like a liver would have been.
Immunosuppressants are easy to use, but the body may still reject the organ for various reasons, that is why organs have to be chosen extremely carefully. Also they are a bit more dangerous to use because of the vulnerability to disease that comes with it.
Have a nice day!
-Mossi
Brain-dead is technically dead but the body is still functioning. That's the key difference. There is no proof that a fully- dead corpse's -one that has ceased all bodily functions and is ready for the 6 feet under- face can be transplanted. The face wasn't exactly put on ice like a liver would have been.
Immunosuppressants are easy to use, but the body may still reject the organ for various reasons, that is why organs have to be chosen extremely carefully. Also they are a bit more dangerous to use because of the vulnerability to disease that comes with it.
Have a nice day!
-Mossi