Chimp Attack Victim Treated at Site of 1st Face Transplant

The second hospital specializes in the care she'll need, a spokesperson said

Charla Nash, 55, has been taken to the Cleveland Clinic, the Associated Press reports.

The clinic is the first medical facility in the United States to perform a face transplant. Hospital spokeswoman Eileen Shiel says Nash is being treated for trauma to her face and lower extremities.

Nash had been at Stamford Hospital for treatment after being mauled by a chimpanzee in Stamford Monday. She was moved to Cleveland Clinic Thursday afternoon.

A Stamford Hospital spokesperson said she was moved to another hospital that specializes in the care she will need after being mauled.

A private jet brought Nash and members of her family to Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland at about 3 p.m. Thursday, WKYC reports

Police cars and a Cleveland Clinic critical care transport team ambulance took her to the Cleveland Clinic

Nash suffered extensive facial damage, including damage to her nose, jaw and eyes, along with hand injuries, when she was attacked, Dr. Kevin Miller of Stamford Hospital said Wednesday.

Because of the extensive damage to Nash’s face, there has been discussion over whether she would be a candidate for a face transplant. No decision has been made, the New York Times reports.

“The doctors are still determining whether that may be necessary,” Scott Orstad, a spokesman for the hospital told the New York Times. “That rumor is still kind of premature. The final decision has not been made yet.”

The name of the woman to receive the face transplant surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio is not known. What is known is that she was severely disfigured and had surgery in December 2008. The middle of her face, including her nose, had been missing after a traumatic injury, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Nash was treated by four teams of surgeons and underwent seven hours of surgery. She met with hand specialists, plastic surgeons and specialists in orthopedics, ophthalmology and trauma.

Nash has made some progress, but she has a long way to go, Miller said Wednesday.
 
The chimp that attacked Nash was a Travis, 14-year-old domesticated chimpanzee owned by her friend, Sandra Herold of Stamford. Police shot and killed the chimp.

When he was younger, Travis starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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