In Spain, doctors performed the worldʼs first face transplant using donor tissue after euthanasia

Doctors in Spain have performed the worldʼs first face transplant using tissue from a euthanized donor. The operation was performed at the Val dʼEbron Clinic in Barcelona.

Euronews reports this.

The patient received a partial facial transplant after a severe infection caused severe tissue necrosis, which affected her breathing, eating, and speech. The transplant allowed her to begin a gradual recovery.

The donor had clearly expressed her desire to donate her organs and tissues after euthanasia in advance. This allowed the doctors to plan the surgery in detail, including the precise preparation and adaptation of facial tissues.

The operation was led by the head of the clinicʼs plastic surgery and burns department, Joan Pere Barrett. About a hundred specialists were involved in the procedure — surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, microsurgeons, immunologists and psychologists.

The Val dʼEbron clinic already has unique experience in this area: it was here that the worldʼs first full face transplant was performed in 2010. Since then, the clinicʼs doctors have performed several similar operations, which has allowed the medical institution to consolidate its international leadership in the industry.

• A face transplant is one of the most complex surgeries in medicine, as it involves the transplantation of skin, muscles, nerves, and bone structures, as well as lifelong immunosuppressive treatment to prevent rejection.

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