USA firefighter Patrick Hardison gets the world’s most extensive face transplant

The facial transplant surgery gave 41-year-old Patrick Hardison the face of 26-year-old David Rodebaugh, a bike mechanic who figured in a cycling accident in July and fell into a coma days later.

Doctors said Hardison received Rodebaugh’s full scalp and face, together with his ears, nose, lips and upper and lower eyelids.

More than 100 physicians, nurses, technical staff, and support staff collaborated on this procedure at NYU Langone, led by Dr. Eduardo D. Rodriguez, chair of the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery.

Hardison has years of physical and occupational therapy ahead of him, and a lifetime of anti-rejection medication, however, the success of this transplant signals both a huge advancement in medical transplant surgeries and the quality of Patrick Hardison’s life.

Patrick Hardison was a volunteer firefighter in MS in 2001 when he was badly injured while attempting a rescue. The ceiling collapsed, releasing enough fire to melt Hardison’s mask and hose, according to ABC News.

The procedure – which was the riskiest face transplant carried out to date – involved the meticulous closure and reconnection of blood vessels and nerves, cutting away Hardison’s scarred face, refitting facial bone and “re-draping” skin across his face.

Eventually, “a casual observer will not notice anything that is odd” in Hardison’s new face, which will blend features of his original face and the donor’s, Rodriguez said.

NYU, which will pay for the estimated $1 million surgery, took the case after fellow firefighter reached out on behalf of Mr Hardison, whose own children were initially terrified of their father’s disfigured face.

The team were able to successfully transplant a set of ears, ear canals, chin, cheeks, and an entire nose to Hardison’s face.

“I am deeply grateful to my donor and his family”, Hardison said in a statement released by the medical center.

“Can you imagine what it would be like to be burned so bad you lose your entire face?”

“They have given me more than a new face”, he said.

“When I met Patrick and heard his story, I knew that I had to do all that I could to help him-and every member of my team felt the same way”.

It’s also been more evidence that doctors are getting better at face transplants.

“It’s a historic achievement”, said Dr Amir Dorafshar, co-director of the face transplant programme at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His new face had color, which means that circulation had been restored, and the hair on his scalp began growing make immediately.