Role of Facial Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation in Burn Patients

Face transplantation can provide improved quality of life to patients with extensive burn injuries. Facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) offers a new paradigm of treatment options, serving as a powerful reconstructive tool to restore facial form and function. Although currently facial VCA patients must follow a lifelong regimen of immunosuppression medications and suffer a risk of rejection, in properly selected patients, facial VCA can be a transformative operation and can improve quality of life. Research efforts continue to optimize immunosuppression and surgical technique and serve as evidence of the procedure's growing role in reconstructive surgery for critically injured patients.