Spanish doctors conducted a face transplant using tissue from a donor who had undergone euthanasia

In Barcelona, doctors at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital successfully performed a unique operation — the world's first partial face transplant using tissue from a donor who had undergone euthanasia. The patient was a woman named Carme, whose face was severely damaged due to a bacterial infection and subsequent tissue necrosis.

About 100 specialists from various medical fields, ranging from plastic surgery to immunology and psychiatry, participated in the operation. As a result, skin, fatty tissue, peripheral nerves, facial muscles and facial bones were transplanted. Doctors used neurovascular microsurgery techniques to connect nerves and blood vessels for full facial functionality, as well as to give the face expressiveness and sensitivity. This was the sixth face transplant in Spain and the 54th in the world.

Carme says that before the operation, she had difficulty eating, speaking and breathing. ‘I couldn't eat because I couldn't open my mouth, half of my nose was missing, and I couldn't breathe normally. Physically, it was very unpleasant, and I couldn't lead a normal life at all,’ she says.
 

The operation performed at Vall d'Hebron Hospital was the first case in the world where a face transplant was сonducted using tissue from a donor who wished to undergo euthanasia due to a genetic disease.

‘The donor wanted to know if her face was suitable for donation. It was the ultimate expression of love and generosity towards others,’ said Joan-Pere Barret, head of the plastic surgery and burns department at Vall d'Hebron.

Before the operation, the medical team developed personalised recommendations using 3D models for both the recipient and the donor. ‘We were able to sit down with the engineers and, using software models, plan the best options for reconstructing the bone structures,’ Barret said.

Carme is now recovering from the operation, and her life is starting to get back on track. ‘I can talk, I'm starting to eat, I can drink coffee. I go outside and can lead a normal life. In a year, I think I'll be completely healthy, it's fantastic,’ she says.