Is a head transplant possible medically?

You may be familiar with organ transplant procedures. Yes, an organ transplant is an operation to transfer a healthy organ to another person whose organ has problems or damage. This procedure is also known as a graft. Usually, the organs that are most commonly transplanted are the kidneys, pancreas, liver, heart, lungs and small intestine. However, what about a head transplant? Could the procedure be done to save the life of a person with a serious head injury? Find out the answer in this article.

Head transplants have been performed on animals

In 1970, head transplant pioneer Robert White transplanted a paralyzed monkey head into another healthy monkey. After the surgical procedure, the monkey was able to move its eyes, hear, taste, and smell. Unfortunately, the monkey was only able to survive for nine days because the immune system of the donor's body refused to be in the "new" head.

A neurologist claims he succeeded in performing a human head transplant

Dr. Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon, claims that he and his team successfully performed the world's first human head transplant. Using two human corpses, the transplant operation was carried out for 18 hours at Harbin Medical University in China.

This procedure was carried out by swapping the heads of one corpse and then attaching them to another corpse. The team of doctors claims to have successfully reconnected the spinal cord and blood vessels in the spine and neck.

Unfortunately, many experts doubt the success of the operation

Many experts have expressed denial about the Italian doctor's claim of having successfully performed the head transplant. Experts in the medical field say that a head transplant is nonsense, both scientifically and ethically.

One of them is Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University. Reporting from Live Science, Arthur said he did not believe that a head transplant was possible. The reason is, if the immune system in the body recognizes a part of the body that is not from your body, then the immune system will attack it. This is of course the risk of killing the transplanted organ. Although there are medications that can suppress the work of the immune system, the "new" body of the donor is very likely to continue to reject foreign organs.

Another consideration is why head transplantation has a low success rate

Apart from those already mentioned above, the biochemical differences between the donor's head and body could also be one of the big problems that must be faced next. This is certainly not as easy as replacing a new light bulb.

If you move your head and brain to a new body, you will put them in a new chemical environment with a new nervous system as well. So, these various problems will actually increase the risk of death to people who receive donors because of the possibility of rejection in the body and infection.

Not only that, a head transplant also requires surgeons to connect very many nerves and blood vessels, as well as vertebrae and spinal cord from the living head to the donor's body. Now, if Canavero has really found a breakthrough in reconnecting the spinal cord, why not do it first in people who have spinal cord injuries before having a head transplant?

Researchers have spent decades researching every aspect of spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, there are very few options for treating patients with this type of injury. Since researchers have yet to find a way to reconnect the injured human vertebrae, it will be very difficult to connect the two vertebrae of two different people.

Despite the controversy, a more in-depth study with a broader scope is still needed if a head transplant is indeed possible. The reason is, this pilot procedure can provide new hope for many people experiencing paralysis or disabilities at a later date.