First penis transplant to help wounded soldiers coming to U.S.
(AP Graphics)
BALTIMORE, MD. - John Hopkins University will perform the first penis transplant surgery in the U.S. The New York Times reports the hospital is slated to perform 60 procedures in the next year in what is considered experimental surgery. The first could take place within months.
There have been two other instances of penis transplants— one in China that wasn’t successful and involved gray, dead-peeling skin from the rejected appendage and a lack of blood flow. The other, in South Africa was a success and had a much better outcome for the patient.
The penis comes from a recently-deceased donor and it is then attached to the patient. After the operation, doctors hope the organ will have sensation, the ability to urinate, and eventually the ability to have sex.
The chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at John Hopkins was sure to note that only the penis would be transplanted in these cases, not the testes, meaning— they would still have the potential to have their own biological children, rather than the child being the offspring of the donor.
The article highlights some startling statistics about how in general— especially with male soldiers involved in explosions from improvised explosive devices or IEDs, usually ask if their genitals are intact rather than concerns over a missing leg or arm. The Times’ reports from 2001 to 2013, 1,367 men suffered wounds to the genitals in Iraq or Afghanistan.