At a press conference on Monday, February 6, Isabelle Dinoire showed her face for the first time since her life-changing surgery in November. I, for one, was amazed by the photos and the remarkable similarity between Dinoire's own skin coloring and that of her donor. Check out this link, and take a look for yourself.
Dinoire spoke positively about the recovery process and said she is now able to eat, drink and talk, though her speech is still slurred. She told reporters that she feels as though the face is truly her own and has not experienced the identity crisis and psychological breakdown that many predicted and/or feared.
Despite the reassuring words, her actions have made many think otherwise. It has been reported that Dinoire's smoking addiction and fondness for alcohol have put her at serious risk for tissue rejection. In addition, very few details have been released about the accident leading to her disfigurement; before being mauled by her dog, Dinoire was said to have overdosed on prescription pills in a possible suicide attempt.
Many blame the French surgeons for the patient's questionable psychological stability, saying they "jumped the gun" in selecting a patient for the ground-breaking surgery. Dubernard and his team have made their way into medical history as the first to have successfully completed a partial face transplant, but was it for the right reasons?
"They didn't publish it in the scientific literature, but went to the lay press. It puts their credibility at issue," said Dr. David Arnold, an assistant professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "This smacks of showboating."
The surgeons defended the procedure, as well as their selection of a psychologically fit candidate. Dinoire's smoking, Dubernard explained, was understandable due to the incredible amount of stress she has experienced during recovery.
Still, Dubernard's track record doesn't help him any. His last transplant recipient, Clint Hallam, received a new hand (he lost his in a circular saw accident) in 1998 only to have it amputated a couple of year later. Hallam refused to continue taking the immunosuppressant drugs necessary to maintain his new hand.
So what will happen with Isabelle Dinoire? Will she really be able to adjust to a daily regimen of drugs whose main function is to weaken her entire immune system? If she can barely handle things now, how will she be able to cope in the long run? No one knows for sure, but I, myself, hope that surgeons see Dinoire's behavior as a warning sign for future procedures. Just because you have gained the medical know-how to complete a transplant doesn't mean you should carry one out as soon as possible. This cannot be a race between American, French, and Italian doctors looking for recognition. There are fragile human minds and lives at risk on the operating table, and ambitious surgeons must think twice before playing Dr. Frankenstein.
