Patrick Hardison receives full face transplant

The following could almost be defined as 'pure magic'!

Thanks to excellent professionals who rely on high technology.

Plastic surgeon Dr Eduardo Rodriguez led the team that performed the 26-hour surgery to give injured volunteer firefighter Patrick Hardison a new face.

It was in August, at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. The team performed the transplant for 41-year-old Patrick Hardison, a retired fireman from Mississippi who suffered disfiguring injuries when a burning roof collapsed on him, melting his mask, in 2001.

He needed a match who had his skin colour, hair colour, blood type and skeletal structure.

The donor was a 26-year-old, David Rodebaugh, who was fatally injured in a cycling accident.

The transplant extends from the top of the head, over Mr Hardison's skull and down to the collarbones - and includes both ears.

The ground-breaking surgery has also restored his vision and Mr Harrison has ambitious plans to start driving again.

The brave firefighter endured 71 surgeries - but his unusual appearance scared even his own children.

The impact of the accident put a huge strain on his relationship with his wife and after ten years of marriage the pair divorced.

10/01/2001

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit blog. My objective, as a young girl born in 1999, is just to share my passion for Medicine by giving the world some information about the latest tendencies in this field. Please click on the links below to obtain a more detailed information about the articles I have used as a source.

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34831206

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/16/firefighter-receives-full-face-transplant-historic-surgery

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/619947/Patrick-Hardison-fireman-burned-in-blaze-extensive-face-transplant-Dr-Eduardo-Rodriguez

Is e-cigarette the ideal solution?

According to Wikipedia, an electronic cigarette (e-cig or e-cigarette), personal vaporizer (PV) or electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) is a battery-powered vaporizer which simulates the feeling of smoking, but without tobacco combustion. Their use is commonly called ‘vaping’.

The user automatically activates the e-cigarette by taking a puff; other devices turn on by pressing a button manually.

According to the National Health Interview Survey recently published:

• In 2014, 12.6% of adults had ever tried an e-cigarette even one time in their lifetimes, with use differing by sex, age, and race and Hispanic or Latino origin.
• About 3.7% of adults currently used e-cigarettes, with use differing by age and race and Hispanic or Latino origin.
• Current cigarette smokers and former smokers who quit smoking within the past year were more likely to use e-cigarettes than former smokers who quit smoking more than 1 year ago and those who had never smoked.
• Among current cigarette smokers who had tried to quit smoking in the past year, more than one-half had ever tried an e-cigarette and 20.3% were current e-cigarette users.
• Among adults who had never smoked cigarettes, 3.2% had ever tried an e-cigarette. Ever having used an e-cigarette was highest among never smokers aged 18–24 (9.7%) and declined with age.

¿Good or bad?

‘Obviously, it would be best if smokers could quit completely’, says Michael Siegel, MD, MPH, a professor at Boston University's School of Public Health. ‘But if that's not possible, I think they'd be a lot better off with e-cigarettes. They're a safer alternative’.

But, because nicotine is addictive, e-cigarettes could be a ‘gateway drug’, leading nonsmokers and kids to use tobacco.

From my point of view, the best option is to try help young people to avoid entering into this so dangerous world.

In a recent study of Mayo Clinic, they recommend 10 ways to keep teens smoke-free:

1. Set a good example

2. Understand the attraction

3. Say no to teen smoking

4. Appeal to your teen's vanity

5. Do the math. Smoking is expensive

6. Expect peer pressure

7. Take addiction seriously

8. Predict the future

9. Think beyond cigarettes

10. Get involved

01/01/2001

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit blog. My objective, as a young girl born in 1999, is just to share my passion for Medicine by giving the world some information about the latest tendencies in this field. Please click on the links below to obtain a more detailed information about the articles I have used as a source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarette
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/electronic-cigarettes
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teen-smoking/art-20047069