Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero actually wants to chop off a man's head and try to fit it onto another body

Apr 23, 2015 11:13 GMT  ·  By
Italian surgeon hopes to perform the first ever full head transplant
2 photos
   Italian surgeon hopes to perform the first ever full head transplant

A couple of weeks back, the news about how a 30-year-old man from Russia had volunteered to be the first person in the world ever to undergo a full head transplant made headlines.

As it turns out, this surgery might in fact happen, and in a recent interview, Italian doctor Sergio Canavero labeled the procedure as “imminent.” Yes, these are seriously weird times we're living in.

The surgeon insists the bizarre transplant can be done

In 2013, when he first talked about his idea to perform the world's first full head transplant, would-be medical expert Sergio Canavero argued that completing such a procedure would require a team of 100 surgeons working for 36 hours straight.

These days, however, he is of the opinion that, given the right team of doctors, he could chop of a person's head, attach it to somebody else's body and restore blood flow in less than an hour.

The Italian surgeon is so confident in his abilities that he is ready and willing to honor 30-year-old Valery Spiridonov's wish and have him become the world's first recipient of a full head transplant.

“Valery's head will be detached from his body and transferred to another one in a matter of seconds, and the brain's blood flow will start in about 15 minutes,” Sergio Canavero detailed his plans in a statement, as cited by DM.

Having restored blood flow to Valery Spiridonov's head, the surgeon and his team would need another 18 to 24 hours to connect the nerves allowing the 30-year-old man to control his new body.

As previously reported, Valery Spiridonov only volunteered to undergo this procedure because he is suffering a rare genetic disease, i.e. Werdnig-Hoffman, that is causing his muscles to weaken and that will eventually kill him.

There are legal hurdles to performing a full head transplant

Since nobody really believes a full head transplant is possible, at least not in this day and age, Sergio Canavero is having trouble finding a place to carry out the intervention without being arrested.

The Italian surgeon says that, if turned down by hospitals in the European Union and in Russia, he will turn his attention to medical facilities in China. He's betting on the fact that this country will want to go down in history as the place where the first full head transplant ever took place.

“The Soviet Union was the first one to send Yuri Gagarin to space, America was the first on the Moon. The country that hosts head transplant surgery for the first time will become a leader like this,” he said.

Although he is yet to actually complete a full head transplant, be it at least on a fly larva if not a more complex organism like, say, a frog, Sergio Canavero has some oddly ambitious plans for the future.

Thus, it is understood that he hopes to one day operate on elderly people who want their head attached to a young and healthy body. If these people happen to be wealthy and willing to pay a truckload of money for such an intervention, well that's just fine and dandy.

Surgeon Sergio Canavero insists a full head transplant is possible
Surgeon Sergio Canavero insists a full head transplant is possible

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Italian surgeon hopes to perform the first ever full head transplant
Surgeon Sergio Canavero insists a full head transplant is possible
Open gallery