Face transplant recipient continues successful recovery 1 year later

The recipient of the most extensive face transplant ever performed is experiencing a successful recovery at the 1-year anniversary of the surgery, according to NYU Langone Medical Center.

Patrick Hardison, 42, experienced facial burns resulting in extensive disfigurement during a firefighting incident in 2001. Since the transplant, he has never had an incident in which his body has attempted to reject the new face, according to a press release from NYU Langone, where the surgery was performed.

“We are amazed at Pat’s recovery, which has surpassed all of our expectations,” Eduardo D. Rodriguez, MD, DDS, chair of the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone and the surgeon who led the team that performed the transplant, stated in the release. “Most significant is the lack of a rejection episode. We believe this has much to do with the methodical approach we took in the matching process to ensure that Patrick’s donor provided the most favorable match. Doing so has allowed us to reduce the levels of certain medications that Pat takes to prevent rejection.”

“The ability to avoid any rejection episode with the first 12 months is really remarkable,” Rodriquez added in a video presentation from NYU Langone.

Including selective bone structure and the chin of the donor provided natural bone marrow stem cells to help the transplanted face following surgery, Rodriquez reported in the release.

Hardison has had several follow-up procedures since the transplant, including those to adjust his new eyelids and lips and to remove a feeding tube from his abdomen and a breathing tube from this trachea, according to the release.

Other milestones of Hardison’s recovery include the normal function of his new eyelids and the execution and achievement of the most extensive soft tissue clinical face transplant to date, according to Rodriguez.

Hardison had been in danger of losing his sight, so the successful transplant of the donor’s eyelids and blinking mechanisms were particularly important, according to the release.

At a press conference, Hardison reported that his vision was better since the surgery, and he is able to drive again and take road trips with his children. He was also able to enjoy a family vacation at Disney World, where he went swimming in a pool, which he hadn’t done in 15 years.

He said prior to the surgery, it was felt like he had “blinders on” due to limited vision.

Rodriguez reported at the press conference that since the surgery, there has been an increase in referred patients for facial reconstruction, but there are currently no patients listed for total face transplants.

Hardison plans to meet this fall with the family of his face donor, David Rodebaugh, to thank them for their decision to donate his face, as well as other organs for other recipients, according to the release.

Reference: www.nyulangone.org