A US woman whose face was torn off by a chimpanzee in 2009 has received a full face transplant. Charla Nash lost her nose, lips, an eyelid and her hands when the animal, kept as a pet by a friend, attacked her. She was also left blind.
Doctors said there had been numerous complications during the 20-hour operation in Boston last month and that Ms Nash had only recently woken up. She was also given two new hands but they later had to be removed due to sepsis and pneumonia.
The operation, involving a team of 30 medics, was the third full face transplant carried out at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Lead surgeon Dr Bohdan Pomahac described her as a 'courageous, strong person' who had inspired the team to restore her quality of life.
Dr Pomahac said he was confident she would regain muscle control of her face in the coming months and should be able to smell and eat normally. 'She will eventually be able to eat a hamburger, something she said was very important to her, having only had pureed food since her injury,' he said.
Ms Nash's brother, Steve Nash, called the operation 'miraculous'. The family is suing the chimp's owner's estate for $50m and the state for $150m, alleging negligence.
