http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-QqYOhg5k8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvH8Z-QToc0&feature=related
(CNN) -- More than two years after a chimpanzee
mauled her, Charla Nash will once again be able to eat solid foods
and regain her sense of smell thanks to a full face transplant,
doctors at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital said Friday.
"I am happy to report that the team has achieved tremendous
success," said Dr. Elof Eriksson, chief of the Division of Plastic
Surgery.
Surgeons also transplanted two hands to Nash, but they didn't
thrive and were removed.
In February 2009, Sandra Herold had called her friend Nash for
help in getting her pet chimpanzee, Travis, back inside her house
after he used a key to escape. When Nash arrived, the chimp, who
had been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy,
jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, causing serious
injuries to her face, neck and hands.
Police shot Travis to halt the attack and he later died of
gunshot wounds.
Doctors say they see Nash as more than an animal attack
victim.
"To us, Charla is a courageous, strong person. (She) inspired
the team to do everything possible, using our collective expertise,
to restore her quality of life," Plastic Surgeon Director Dr.
Bohdan Pomahac said.
Nash's face transplant was different than others done before
because of the extent of damage to it, the doctors said.
She is the third person at Brigham and Women's Hospital to
receive a full face transplant; Dallas Wiens was the first in the
United States to have such a surgery in March, also at the
hospital.
Nash is the second to receive a double-hand transplant at the
same time as a face transplant; the first was performed in France
in 2009. That patient died of a heart attack in a later
operation.
Nash had lost her nose, upper jaw, most of the soft tissue on
her face, and both upper and lower lips. She was also left
blind.
The surgery, which was performed last month, involved removing
some tissue and attaching skin and underlying muscle, based on
vessels and nerves that provide motor and sensory functions,
Pomahac said. The entire hard palate and teeth were also
transplanted.
The result was "miraculous," said Nash's brother, Steve.
The thing Nash is most looking forward to, her brother said, was
visiting their favorite hot dog stand.
As for the double hand transplant, doctors successfully attached
the new hands, but a few days later Nash became sick and her blood
pressure fell, causing circulation problems to the new limbs. After
a few days, doctors saw that the hands were not thriving and
removed them.
In the next three months, Nash will regain sensation to her
face, and in six to nine months will be able to smile, control her
lips and otherwise make facial expressions, Pomahac said.
"All these things will gradually improve," he said.
Nash skipped her child's high school graduation because she was
afraid of taking away from the occasion, but thanks to the
transplant, can look forward to being present for college
graduation, Pomahac said.
The surgery will give her a chance to have a more
normal social life, he said.