A hospital in Spain has achieved a significant medical breakthrough by performing the world's first face transplant using tissues from a donor who had received medical assistance in dying—a procedure legal in Spain since 2021.
The operation was performed at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona on a patient who had experienced severe facial tissue damage due to infection, which had impaired essential functions, including breathing, eating, and speaking.
The transplant enabled partial reconstruction of the patient's face and initiated her functional recovery.
The donor had previously documented theirconsent to donate organs and tissues following the medically assisted death procedure. This advance consent enabled medical teams to prepare comprehensively for the complex operation, including the precise matching and preparation of facial tissues.
Dr Joan Pere Barret, head of Plastic Surgery and Burns at Vall d'Hebron, led the surgical team of nearly 100 medical professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and specialists in microsurgery, immunology, and mental health.
According to him, this type of surgery demands extensive preparation and lifelong follow-up care, as it involves transplanting skin, muscles, nerves, and bone structures, along with continuous immunosuppressive medication to prevent tissue rejection.
The hospital emphasised that the procedure followed rigorous ethical and legal protocols, and acknowledged the generosity of the donor and her family as essential to making this medical advancement possible.
