Bernt Aune's corneas are 123 years old, which possibly makes them the oldest living human tissue on record. [more inside]
posted by andeles on Oct 30, 2008 - 27 comments

Lancet reports say partial face transplants are a reality. Face transplant before and after pictures here.
posted by NikitaNikita on Aug 22, 2008 - 28 comments

Implants and transplants can be used to create a particularly exquisite type of horror, being so intimately connected to our own bodies. They can overwhelm us, assimilate us, drive us mad, piss us off, or consume us. [more inside]
posted by adamrice on Feb 21, 2008 - 22 comments

Demi-Lee Brennan received a liver transplant at the age of nine. Her doctors were rather surprised when her body subsequently took on the immune system of the organ donor and her blood type changed from O-negative to O-positive.
posted by the duck by the oboe on Jan 25, 2008 - 35 comments

Trial by Transplant. "Most transplant recipients are grateful beyond measure. Amy Silverstein's view, after nearly two decades with a donated heart, is more conflicted and often bleak. Much of her life, as described in Sick Girl, has revolved around nauseating drugs, ongoing fatigue, painful tests, ER visits and hospitalizations without end—and the constant fear that the next heartbeat could be her last. At low ebb, she has teetered on the edge of giving up."
posted by homunculus on Jan 7, 2008 - 35 comments

Nasty super-bug Clostridium difficile undone by poo transplant! C. difficle, the drug-resistant bum-spelunking organism that's currently the bane of health-care professionals around the world, has been cured. The probiotic treatment, however, has made some medical lab technicians squeamish as it involves liquifying donor faecal matter and then injecting it via enema into the suffering patient. [more inside]
posted by CheeseburgerBrown on Nov 14, 2007 - 49 comments

Virgin Health Bank : It's not what you think. Richard Branson has started a hybrid (pun intended) umbilical cord blood bank. There has been a fascinating ongoing debate over whether the blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells found in umbilical cords should be banked privately (for individual, autologous use, not accessible to public registries) or publically (for allogeneic use). Branson's alternative requires parents to split their cord blood unit: 80% for the public bank and 20% for their own private banking. The parents pay $3000 or so for their "biological insurance" and if anyone in the world needs the public portion of the cord blood unit, they can have it free-of-charge.
posted by scblackman on Jul 5, 2007 - 10 comments

Stool transplants. How is it possible that this disgusting chestnut has not yet been discussed on MeFi?
posted by stemlot on May 25, 2006 - 52 comments

All your face are belong to us. 16-yr-old Irish girl looks set to receive the world's first face transplant, it has been reported. Right now it's a medical procedure, but do you think we ever see a day where people grow face replacements for cosmetic purposes?
posted by piskycritter on Apr 7, 2003 - 22 comments

"In the midst of this conference, Senator Dole called Mack on his cell phone." The Jesica Santillan piece that didn't make CNN. Hehe...I thought that hospital was a bit too eager to accept responsibility for its actions...cheers to Mrs. Dole for stepping in; lets hope Jesica pulls through!
posted by effugas on Feb 20, 2003 - 18 comments

Face transplant surgery appears to be nearing reality. A conference taking place this week will discuss the issue, which is not without controversy. How would you feel about a loved one who had been severely disfigured getting a new and different face? Would you be willing to donate your face after you had died?
posted by CoolHandPuke on Nov 27, 2002 - 32 comments

Yoni Jesner was a 19-year-old Jewish seminary student from Glasgow, Scotland, studying in Israel. He was fatally wounded in Thursday's bus bombing in Tel Aviv, but his family donated one of his kidneys to save the life of an eight-year-old girl. Her name is Yasmin Abu Ramila, and she is Palestinian.
posted by mr_crash_davis on Sep 22, 2002 - 32 comments

One of the Marine Corps' greatest living heroes was dying. A donor liver had been found, but he might not live long enough to get it. Who ya gonna call? Semper Fidelis.
posted by swell on Aug 28, 2002 - 56 comments

Man has replacement hand removed, now wants another one. Of course, he almost definitely will not get it, after annoying his doctors from the first operation. Still, I can't help thinking about a movie in which a man and his hand become "mentally detached".
posted by meep on Jan 14, 2002 - 10 comments