A young man who received three new face transplants in August, is now in good health and is using his hands again, according to a university hospital in New York.
Dozens of facial and hand transplants have already been carried out separately, but two previous transplants with two commitments failed, as the first patient to undergo a triple transplant in the French area of Cretay in April 2009 died two months later with complications.
In the case of Joe Demio (22 years old), it did not result in any complications from the three-pronged operation that took him last August 12 and lasted 23 hours. The patient is in good health, and on Wednesday he participated in a press conference.
Demio said the operation gave him "a second chance at life." "No one can wait to get back to work," he added.
He was involved in a traffic accident in July 2018 when he fell asleep driving his car, resulting in third-degree burns to 80% of his body, causing him to lose his nostrils and eyelids.
After the accident, surgeons in about 20 operations had to amputate several of his valves.
But despite these operations, Demio had "only the possibility of a good quality of life": a face transplant, according to Project Doctor Eduardo Rod Richards during a virtual press conference.
The tests at the University of New York's Langon Hospital showed that the patient was suffering from a weak immune system due to blood transfusions and skin grafts, and faced the risk of failing to disinfect 94% of the limbs belonging to Nahrin.
But with the help of the local Gift of Life Society, a dead donor was identified whose limbs match Demio's body. The operation, which has been repeated some 10 times, required efforts from six different surgical teams and a total of 100 people.
Surgeons cut off the face of the oracle and remove a number of posterior parts of the skull, cheeks, nose and chin, in order to ensure a suitable match to Demio's face.
As for the face, he said, “For the first time, I said to myself, ‘ It ’ s my face now.”