The first step in the procedure will involve cooling the patient's head and brain to about 10-15 degrees Celsius or 50-60 Fahrenheit, to slow down metabolism and help the brain tissues withstand oxygen deprivation while the transplant is being conducted.
Spiridonov's head will be transplanted to the body of a brain-dead but otherwise healthy donor.
The surgeon will employ an ultra-sharp scalpel to severe the spinal cord and remove the patient’s head. The head will then be attached to its new body using a special biological glue called polyethylene glycol, which induces cells and connective tissues to bind together.
After the procedure, Spiridonov will be placed in coma for up to a month to prevent movement. This will allow time for the wounds of the surgery to heal and the two spinal cords fuse completely to fasten the head properly.
Surgeons expect that it would take up to a year for the spinal cord from the head to fuse completely with the spinal cord from the body.
Read more:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/science/russian-to-undergo-world-s-first-human-head-transplant-surgery/article/430493
See: http://www.sciencealert.com/world-s-first-head-transplant-volunteer-could-experience-something-worse-than-death
ReplyDeletehttp://boingboing.net/2015/04/10/doctor-raising-money-for-first.html
Head transplant surgery - Full TEDx by Dr. Sergio Canavero
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmGm_VVklvo
This is a public relations stunt, and a dangerous one, because it scares the public. They wonder, what kind of Frankenstein experiments are these scientists up to? Why should we trust doctors and scientists when they are going to do crazy things like this? It doesn't seem as though there are any controls. No one seems to be in a position to stop this. That is a high price to pay for having fun with public speculation, but it is irresponsible. I wouldn't worry about seeing a head on somebody else's body any time soon, but I would worry about not speaking out when scientists and doctors make irresponsible claims like this one.
ReplyDeleteSee: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/844157?src=wnl_edit_specol
A man set to become the world’s first head transplant patient has scheduled the procedure for December 2017.
ReplyDeleteValery Spiridonov, 30, was diagnosed with a genetic muscle-wasting condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, and volunteered for the procedure despite the risks involved, Central European News (CEN) reported.
“When I realized that I could participate in something really big and important, I had no doubt left in my mind and started to work in this direction,” Spiridonov, a Russian computer scientist, told CEN. “The only thing I feel is the sense of pleasant impatience, like I have been preparing for something important all my life and it is starting to happen.”
Dr. Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon, will perform the procedure on Spiridonov. The procedure is expected to last up to 36 hours, and it will require Spiridonov’s head be cooled as well as the donor’s body to extend the period during which the cells can survive without oxygen, CEN reported.
“According to Canavero’s calculations, if everything goes to plan, two years is the time frame needed to verify all scientific calculations and plan the procedure’s details,” Spiridonov told CEN. “It isn’t a race. No doubt, the surgery will be done once the doctor and the experts are 99 percent sure of its success.”
Spiridonov joked that first thing he plans to do after the procedure is go on a vacation.
“But on a serious note, this operation is aimed at restoring independence of severely disabled people. Once I get it back I’ll see what the life of a healthier person looks like,” he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/09/10/worlds-first-head-transplant-patient-schedules-procedure-for-2017/?cmpid=edpick&google_editors_picks=true