CommonHealth

This just in from Brigham & Women’s: Charla Nash, the Connecticut woman who was blinded and horribly injured in a chimpanzee attack, has received a full face transplant in hopes of helping her eat and breathe better, as well as a hand transplant that failed to work.

BWH Surgeons Perform Transplant Surgery on Charla Nash

Boston, MA – A Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) plastic and orthopedic surgery team, led by Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, performed a full face transplant on Charla Nash, the Connecticut woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009. The procedure was performed late last month. It is the third full face transplant procedure performed this year at Brigham and Women’s. A double hand transplant was also performed, however the hands failed to thrive and were removed.

The news conference is scheduled to be Webcast live at 10:45 here. And the Globe story is here. It says in part:

It’s unclear whether another hand transplant would be possible in the future.
The Cleveland Clinic previously turned down Nash for a face and hand transplant, because doctors did not believe they had the capacity to transplant the hands. This was the Brigham’s first hand transplant.