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China's face transplant 'well'
17/04/2006 10:03 - (SA)
Beijing - China's first face transplant recipient, a hunter who was badly mauled by a bear, is "progressing well" after surgery, said state media on Monday.
Li Guoxing, 30, had completely regained consciousness after the 14-hour operation at Xijing Hospital in the northwestern city of Xi'an late last week and was now able to take liquid food, reported the China Daily.
He was allowed to have a first look at his new face on Saturday, but was not permitted to make even the slightest movement for fear the wound might not heal properly.
Doctors transplanted two thirds of a brain-dead man's face to Li during last week's complex operation, only the second performed in the world.
"The first 24 hours after surgery are the most-dangerous period, for the microsurgery can cause blood-vessel damage," said Zhang Hui, the doctor in charge of post-surgery treatment.
"The surgery scar will not be obvious, but there is a difference in the donor's and recipient's skin colour, so that will be noticeable," Zhang said.
French woman Isabelle Dinoire last year became the first person in the world to receive a face transplant.
- SAPA
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