First Face, Limb Transplants in Canada Set for Next Year

Groundbreaking surgeries could help veterans, amputees get a new lease on life.

Toronto hospitals are preparing for the first face and limb transplants to be performed in Canada, with the first surgeries expected to happen early next year. The Hospital for Sick Children and the University Health Network intend to perform about five face transplants and as many as 25 limb transplants a year once operations begin, following groundbreaking surgeries in France, the U.S., China, and Spain. Earlier this year, a Spanish man became the first ever recipient of leg transplants, although it's uncertain if his body will reject the new limbs or not. Facial transplant surgeries have only been performed a select few times for people who have been disfigured by attacks or fires. Two of the 17 patients who have undergone face transplants since 2005 have died (one from an infection, the other from failing to follow the strict drug regimen required).