transplant news stories on Newser

Docs Perform First Quadruple Limb Transplant

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:58:05 CST

Doctors in Turkey say they have performed the world's first quadruple limb transplant on a man who lost both arms and legs at age 13, Sky News reports. The 20-hour operation at a hospital in Ankara required more than 50 doctors working on the patient, 27-year-old Sevket Cavdar. "We have...

Spain Performs First Double Leg Transplant

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:32:06 CDT

Doctors in Spain have carried out the world's first double leg transplant, giving new lower limbs to a patient who lost both legs at mid-thigh in an accident, officials said yesterday. The surgical team was led by Dr. Pedro Cavadas, who in 2009 carried out Spain's first face transplant—the...

Mother, Daughter Prepare for 1st Womb Transplant

Matt Cantor — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:26:40 CDT

Doctors in Sweden are preparing for what they hope will be the first successful womb transplant. The likely candidates: a mother, 56, and her 25-year-old daughter, who was born with no uterus. If the transplant from Eva Ottosson to daughter Sara is successful, Sara could end up carrying a child...

Boston Hospital Performs US' 1st Full Face Transplant

Nick McMaster — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:30:57 CDT

A Boston hospital has performed the nation's first full face transplant, the AP reports. Dallas Weins, a Texas construction worker badly disfigured and blinded in a 2008 power line accident, underwent a 15-hour operation in which parts of a deceased donor's face were transplanted onto his skull. Weins will not...

Docs Hail World's First Full-Face Transplant

Rob Quinn — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:18:54 CDT

A farmer who accidentally shot himself is the first person in the world to receive a full face transplant. The man, in his 30s, is regaining the ability to speak and swallow after receiving facial skin and muscles, and a new jawbone, nose, palate, and cheekbones from a brain-dead donor,...

Donating a Kidney Won't Shorten Your Life

Rob Quinn — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:00:00 CST

People who donate a kidney don't need to worry about living shorter lives because of it. The 80,000 Americans who have donated a kidney since 1994 had a mortality rate equal—and sometimes better than—that of the general population, researchers found. They believe donors may sometimes live a...

Cord Blood Breakthrough Offers Leukemia Hope

Jane Yager — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:00:00 CST

A pioneering technique for multiplying umbilical cord cells has placed the long-elusive "holy grail" of leukemia research in sight, offering new hope for bone marrow transplant recipients. Researchers have manipulated a "signaling pathway" in umbilical cord cells to create more stem cells—thus overcoming the longstanding problem of newly produced...

Scientists Move Closer to Womb Transplant

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:30:56 CDT

British doctors have performed successful uterus transplants in rabbits, meaning they could try the procedure on a human woman in as little as two years. Researchers say they’ve solved the blood supply problems that have until now bedeviled uterus transplants; a Saudi woman tried the procedure in 2000, but had...

Jobs Had Liver Transplant 2 Months Ago

Rob Quinn — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:14:15 CDT

Steve Jobs had a liver transplant in Tennessee about 2 months ago, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Apple boss, who has been on medical leave since January for an undisclosed medical condition, is recovering well and is expected to return to work later this month. Jobs will likely "work...