Eleven years after first-time facial transplantation Patient now deceased

Patient with first transplanted face is dead
In 2005, a successful facial transplant was performed for the first time. Now, eleven years later, the patient died. Only a few months ago, the woman had fought with strong rejection reactions and could then no longer move part of her lips.

First successful facial transplant in 2005
Transplantation medicine has made tremendous progress in recent decades. For example, physicians reported last year on the sensational transplantation of a skullcap. And doctors in the US have done the first penile graft a few months ago. Meanwhile, even a head transplant is planned. The first successful facial transplant was already performed in 2005. The patient died now.

In 2005, the first successful facial transplant was performed in France. Now the patient died. (Image: Anna Jurkovska / fotolia.com)

Woman was bitten by own dog
Isabelle Dinoire is dead. The French woman, who received the world's first successful facial transplantation eleven years ago, died in April of this year at the age of 49, reports the news agency AFP.

Experts spoke of a medical sensation when Dinoire was transplanted a new face in 2005. Her dog had bitten the then 38-year-old woman and injured so badly that she lost her lips, her nose and her chin. She could not speak or eat normally.

In Amiens' hospital, a specialist team transplanted her in November 2005 in a 15-hour OP in a world premiere the missing parts of the face, which came from a brain-dead donor.

A few months after the operation, the patient was able to talk and eat again
A few months later, she presented herself to the press. Dinoire could talk and even drink. "Since the day of the operation, I have a face again, I can speak again. I have recently felt my lips, my nose, my mouth. "

Although Dinoire said years later that she had got used to her new look, but her body resisted until the last. Despite medication designed to suppress her body's rejection, parts of her graft were repeatedly rejected.

Heavy rejection reactions
A statement from the hospital said it died "as a result of a long illness." According to the newspaper "Le Figaro" Dinoire suffered from cancer. Last winter, she fought again with severe rejection reactions and thereby partially lost the functionality of her lips.

Since 2005, successful face transplants have been performed repeatedly. Recently, New York University physicians told Langone Medical Center in a statement about a firefighter who had suffered severe facial burns while on the job and had a new face, scalp, ears, ear canals and parts of the bones transplanted to his chin, cheeks and nose , (Ad)