Wounded Veteran To Receive First Penis Transplant In U.S. History
BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Medical doctors at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are going to perform the first penis transplant in U.S. history on a veteran with severe injuries he endured during service, according to WJZ partner the Baltimore Sun.
This type of surgery was successfully completed in South Africa back in 2014. And it's expected to give this wounded veteran a penis and scrotum tissue that allows for urination and sexual activity.
"It's nice to be able to say this is finally becoming a reality," said Dr. Richard Redett, one of the eight Hopkins surgeons on the team.
A few months after the transplant in South Africa (which was done to repair a botched circumcision), the patient was able to achieve an erection and biologically father a child.
A team of 25 to 30 people will be involved in this surgery.
In response to critics who rejected both the surgery and the idea of other procedures that aren't life-saving, Redett said it's "well deserved by those who've 'given everything' in combat."
"It's hard for many people to understand what it's like to live that way from a blast injury until you meet one of these guys," he said. "When you meet these people, it's easy to understand why we would do something like this."
