Doctors will attempt a head transplant

[Hammock Parties]

It's exactly what it sounds like.

http://www.businessinsider.com/valer...nsplant-2015-4

In a procedure that would be nothing short of revolutionary, a 30-year-old Russian man has volunteered to be the first to have his head transplanted onto another human body.

In an interview with Russia Today, Valery Spiridonov, the volunteer, explained that he has a rare muscle condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disorder, aka spinal muscular atrophy, which causes one's muscles to waste away and has no known cure.

He believes the surgery could help prolong his life and also be a huge boon for scientific research.

"I'm very interested in technology, and anything progressive that might change people's lives for the better," Spiridonov told RT. "Doing this isn't only an excellent opportunity for me, but will also create a scientific basis for future generations, no matter what the actual outcome of the surgery is."

The operation will reportedly last up to 36 hours and cost an estimated $11 million. The entire procedure will require the assistance of around 150 doctors and nurses. RT also reports that the whole operation will be orchestrated by Dr. Sergio Canavero, a renowned neurosurgeon and director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Turin, Italy.

Dr. Canavero explained this procedure — called "HEAVEN," an acronym for "head anastomosis venture" — in a TedX talk in December, embedded here.

Spiridonov's new body will be taken from "a brain-dead but otherwise healthy donor," and Spiridonov's brain will be cooled down to between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit to prolong the time brain cells can survive without oxygen. The spinal cord will be cut with a special scalpel that's especially sharp, and the head will be reconnected to the new body and spinal cord with "a special biological glue."

Once the operation is finished, Spiridonov will be put into a coma for around three to four weeks to prevent any movement, and he will be given immunosuppressents so his body doesn't reject the new head.

Though this surgery could be a major breakthrough in science, some doctors believe there are too many risks involved in such a long, complicated, and dangerous procedure. Dr. Hunt Batjer, president-elect of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, told CNN, "I would not wish this on anyone ... I would not allow anyone to do it to me as there are a lot of things worse than death."

Still, Spiridonov says he is aware of the risks. He believes this will do more good than harm.

"This technology is similar to the first man to walk in space," he told RT. "This is because in the future it will help thousands of people who are in an even more deplorable state than I am."

Dr. Canavero hopes to complete the head transplant operation on Spiridonov in 2017.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by WeathermanKumke

Couldn't end up worse than Matt Cassel's QB play

[cosmo20002]

I assume a successful head transplant would not involve actually being able have any motor function since the spinal cord has to be severed and there's no fixing that as far as I know.

[notorious]

I guess there is a good time to lose one's head.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

I assume a successful head transplant would not involve actually being able have any motor function since the spinal cord has to be severed and there's no fixing that as far as I know.

That has to be the one discovery made that makes this even worth bothering with...

[TribalElder]

So, Donald Trump will now live on forever

[Bowser]

[crazycoffey]

Maybe they can put Alex smiths head on Brays body. To the ship!

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

So, Donald Trump will now live on forever

No he would be the body donor.

[BWillie]

This would be cool if they could actually figure this out, but as others have said you wouldn't be able to move your limbs on your new body could you?

[Don Corlemahomes]

Originally Posted by BWillie

This would be cool if they could actually figure this out, but as others have said you wouldn't be able to move your limbs on your new body could you?

Nope. The guy behind this is a quack. Reconnecting each individual nerve fiber is highly, highly improbable.

This is such a bull shit article. Basically, this guy is taking a 45 year old study done by Dr Robert White in primates that was unsuccessful and using it as his primary evidence. **** this guy.

Dr. Hunt Batjer, chairman of neurological surgery at UT Southwestern and president-elect of the American Association for Neurological Surgeons, says White's research is not validation for a human head transplant. "[His evidence is] a 45-year-old reference in a primate and there is no evidence that the spinal cord was anastomosed functionally," he says. Batjer further explains that it's a great leap to go from brain survival of the surgery to restoring body function, which White did not look at.

This is an impossibility, according to Batjer. He conceded that the airway, the spine, the major veins and arteries, can all be put back together, but the spinal cord is the problem. He says the result would be the inability to move or breathe.

"I would not wish this on anyone, I would not allow anyone to do it to me, there are a lot of things worse than death," Batjer says.

The science isn't there to support this, says Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., director of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. He says it's nothing more than a big PR stunt, and calls Canavero "nuts."

[Don Corlemahomes]

And the thread title is bull shit. A single Italian doctor who is a ****ing clown is trying to secure funding and an academic center in the US to perform this shit. He has zero chance of that happening.

[JD10367]

Sweet. I'll take a 12-inch black guy's.

Wait. I think I misunderstood the thread title. nm

[Rain Man]

If this had been around when Elvis Grbac was still our starter, things could have been a lot different.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

I'm trying to think of a comment but I'm just dumbfounded

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by JD10367

Sweet. I'll take a 12-inch black guy's.

Wait. I think I misunderstood the thread title. nm

I think they actually have done a penis transplant before. I'm not sure and don't care to research it, but I think I remember seeing it as a headline while scanning Yahoo News, CNN, or whatever news site that I was on.