A review of the world’s published face transplant cases: ethical perspectives

Abstract

[Formula: see text]The highly publicised case of the first ever partial facial transplant in 2005 sparked fierce ethical debates, moral arguments and strong opinions, both within the medical community as well as the general public and mass media. As more patients have undergone facial transplantation over the last decade, some of this initial scepticism has given way to a wider acceptance of this significant reconstructive development. However, despite an improved understanding of the perioperative technicalities and postoperative perils, the risks remain significant and the long-term outcomes are still largely unknown. This article examines the major ethical challenges that have accompanied facial allo-transplantation since its inception. We discuss these ethical dilemmas in the context of the patients, donor families, healthcare professionals and society as a whole, while evaluating some of the emerging evidence and outcomes associated with the physical and psycho-emotional risks linked to this procedure.Lay summaryThe highly publicised case of the first ever partial facial transplant in 2005 sparked fierce ethical debates, moral arguments and strong opinions, both within the medical community as well as the general public and mass media. This article debates some of the major ethical predicaments that have accompanied facial transplantation since its inception. We discuss these from the point of view of patients, donor families and healthcare professionals while incorporating some of the emerging evidence associated with the physical and psycho-emotional risks linked to this procedure.