Spain seeking donor for world's first leg transplant

SPANISH doctors are looking for a suitable match from a dead donor to carry out the world's first leg transplant, the health ministry has confirmed.

The ministry's transplant commission last May authorised Valencia's Hospital de la Fe to carry out the procedure, which will involve both legs, a spokeswoman said.

If successful, the operation would be the first leg transplant in the world, she said, and could offer hope to millions of amputees and injured war veterans.

"They are looking for a suitable donor. We still don't know the date, it could be in two months or six months, it all depends on when an adequate donor is found," the spokeswoman said.

The recipient will be an unidentified man who had both legs amputated above the knee after an accident. He faces life in a wheelchair because prosthetic limbs are not suitable for him.

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