

Mint Explainer | How Harvard Medical’s tie-up with AIIMS, Delhi for face transplants will help acid attack victims
Mint explains this breakthrough initiative for patients with severe facial disfigurement and who have exhausted conventional options to restore critical functions such as breathing, eating, and speaking, besides identity and social acceptance; along with accompanying legal and ethical issues.Face transplantation has transitioned from an experimental procedure to an established clinical practice. Successful procedures have been performed in France (the site of the first partial transplant), the US, China, and Turkey.
A recent success in Spain early in February where the donor offered her face before an assisted dying procedure highlighted the continuous refinement of such procedures.The surgery utilizes what is called a composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) approach. A functional unit—including skin, fat, muscles, nerves, and occasionally bone—is harvested from a deceased (brain-dead) donor.
Unlike a standard skin graft that only uses the top layer of skin, CTA replaces the entire facial structure to restore both form and coordinated movement.India has a crying need for such advanced procedures given the number of severe facial trauma incidents. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 data, approximately 207 acid attacks were officially reported, though organizations like Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) estimate the real figure is closer to 1,000 cases a year due to significant under-reporting.
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