Italian neurosurgeon, Sergio Canavero, is initiating a medical feat that was once delegated to fiction novels: a complete human head transplant. As in, he’s essentially slicing someone’s head off with a nanoblade, transplanting it to a donor’s body in the hopes of improving the quality of life of the original head. There have been many instances of head transplants being done on rhesus monkeys and spinal removal in mice – but this is the first time that a certified medical professional will do it on a human.
How Is Sergio Canavero Doing It?
A human head transplant is unquestionably a complicated medical achievement that will be the first of its kind. However, Dr. Canavero explained the procedure in a medical journal, with an official keynote expanding on his techniques in a 2015 conference.
Dr. Canavero will complete the head transplant with a two-part procedure called HEAVEN and Gemini. During these procedures, one medical team will work on the donor’s body, and another team will focus on the head. The head will be frozen to below 12 degrees Celsius, essentially suspending the head of cellular activity for one hour. A team of doctors will then use this small window of time to drain the head of blood then use a special Silastic material to connect veins and arteries.
Once connected, circulation will then resume. Polyethylene glycol, an inorganic material polymer, will jumpstart spinal cord connections and functions. Sutures will then be applied to stabilize the spinal cord. Cosmetic surgery will then be done, with the patient being in a medically induced coma for several weeks. After waking up, the patient will then enter a rehabilitation program that will also include virtual reality-based training. It is projected that the patient will be able to walk within six months.
Valery Spiridonov Gives His Head to Science
Valery Spiridonov is a 30-year-old computer scientist from Russia who has volunteered himself for the revolutionary head transplant. Spiridonov suffers from Werdnig-Hoffman disease, a progressive type of spinal atrophy that causes the wasting of muscles. Those inflicted with the disease are not able to walk, such as is the case for Spiridonov. He volunteered because he wants to try a solution that will offer some relief, even if he is essentially a guinea pig for a procedure that has never been done.
Medical Community is Dismissive
Opponents of the procedure usually cite ethical reasons or the lack of technological progress that will allow the neurosurgeon to safely complete the transplant. Organizations even partook in attacking Dr. Canavero and his constituents. Regardless of what some in the medical community thinks, the procedure will cost $20 million and will require 36 hours of focus from more than 150 people, including a team of technicians, psychologists, and engineers. The success rate of this transplants remains to be seen – but according to Dr. Canavero, the procedure should be swift and effective for Spiridonov.
Featured image by Cory Doctorow on Flickr available under an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
