World’s First Head Transplant A Success after Nineteen Hour
Operation
A 36-year-old man has undergone the world’s first successful head transplant. The ground-breaking operation took a team of surgeons 19 hours to complete and has allowed the patient to be cancer-free.
A 36-year-old man has undergone the world’s first successful head transplant. The ground-breaking operation took a team of surgeons 19 hours to complete and has allowed the patient to be cancer-free.
Paul Horner, who was diagnosed with bone cancer five years
ago, was on the verge of death when he was approved for the controversial and
possibly deadly operation.
Doctor Tom Downey, who was part of the South African team
who carried out the operation, told CNN he is thrilled about the results. “It’s
a massive breakthrough. We’ve proved that it can be done – we can give someone
a brand new body that is just as good, or better, than their previous one.
The success of this operation leads to infinite
possibilities.”
Surgeons at Charlotte Maxexe Johannesburg Academic Hospital
in SA did the operation in February but had to wait until they could confirm it
was successful before they made any public statement.
Downey spoke to reporters on the complexity behind the first
ever head transplant. “This procedure is another excellent example of how
medical research, technical know-how and patient-centered care can be combined
in the quest to relieve human suffering.”
The operation was led by Professor Myron Danus and took
place on February 10, 2015.
“Our goal is for Horner to be fully functional in two years
and so far we are very pleased by his rapid recovery,” said prof. Danus. “Before
the operation, Horner’s body was riddled with cancer and he had less than a
month to live. We were fortunate enough to find a donor body; a 21-year-old man
who has been brain dead from a serious car accident that happened in 2012. The
boys body worked just fine, but his brain was not functioning whatsoever, and
there was absolutely no chance of recovery.
He added: “We received approval from the young man’s parents
to use their sons body to do the operation. They were extremely happy their son
could save a life even in the vegetated state that he was in.”
The man, Horner, has made 85% recovery; walking, talking,
doing things a healthy individual does…






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