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Face Transplants

Overview

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is among few hospitals in the United States to offer face transplant (vascularized composite allograft [VCA]) for adult patients who have had a major trauma and severe damage involving the face. Face transplant is performed to help improve a patient’s quality of life.

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YNHH is the first hospital in the state of Connecticut to receive certification by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network for a Face Transplant Program. More than 50 face transplants have been performed worldwide since 2005 and Yale New Haven Transplantation Center is among the small number of hospitals with the expertise needed to perform this type of surgery.

The process toward a potential face transplant involves comprehensive screening that will include varied tests like imaging, as well as psychological screening. Each patient is added to a wait list to find an appropriate deceased donor.

The extensive transplantation surgery involves a multidisciplinary team that includes Yale Medicine physicians from many specialties including anesthesiology, critical care, plastic surgery, transplant and medicine.

After transplant surgery, the patient remains in the hospital for several weeks with a multidisciplinary team of specialists ensuring the best care for the patient. Care will continue lifelong with medical checkups. Part of the patient’s care after surgery will include treatment with immunosuppressive medications to help avoid tissue rejection.

Yale School of Medicine

Yale New Haven Health is proud to be affiliated with the prestigious Yale University and its highly ranked Yale School of Medicine.