Burn reconstruction surgery changes lives. Recently, a firefighter was the recipient of one of the most extensive facial reconstruction surgeries on record. Consider a recent article for Futurity titled “BURNED FIREFIGHTER GETS NEW FACE AFTER 26-HOUR SURGERY.”
The author of the article writes, “It’s been three months since Patrick Hardison, 41, underwent the most extensive face transplant to date. The swelling is starting to subside, and he is learning how to speak using his new lips, how to eat, and how to swallow. The volunteer firefighter was injured in 2001 when he entered a burning home on a rescue search. The roof collapsed, leaving him with disfiguring burns across his entire face, head, neck, and upper torso. He lost his eyelids, ears, lips, and most of his nose, as well as his hair, including his eyebrows. The transplant surgery, which lasted for 26 hours, involved a team of 100 medical professionals, led by Eduardo D. Rodriguez, a professor of reconstructive plastic surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. Hardison says he is grateful for the team’s efforts: ‘They have given me more than a new face. They have given me a new life.’ The surgical team worked in two adjoining operating rooms—in one room the donor’s face was procured (along with other donated organs), and in the other the recipient’s face and scalp burn was removed and the transplant took place. The donor was David P. Rodebaugh, 26, an Ohio-born Brooklyn artist and bicycling enthusiast, who died from injuries sustained in an accident. The surgery was pivotal in that the donor’s eyelids and the muscles that control blinking were transplanted—a significant milestone and a procedure that had not been previously performed on a seeing patient. Hardison endured more than 70 surgeries before meeting with Rodriguez, who previously performed a complex face transplant in 2012. ‘When I met Patrick and heard his story, I knew that I had to do all that I could to help him–and every member of my team felt the same way. His surgery sets new standards in facial transplantation and will serve as an amazing learning tool,’ says Rodriguez. ‘I am particularly encouraged with the success we have achieved in transplanting David’s eyelids and blinking mechanisms to Patrick. This is a major milestone–one that could lead to preserving vision in future patients.’”
If you are considering burn reconstruction surgery, you need a surgeon you can trust. Rex E. Moulton-Barrett, M.D. is internationally known and acknowledged. He is board certified with The American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and The American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Moulton-Barrett offers a variety of burn reconstruction surgery options. These options include skin grafts, microsurgery, free flap procedures, and tissue expansion.
For more information, contact us for a consultation.