World-first double leg transplant in Spain

A young man who had a world-first double leg transplant in Spain cried with joy on seeing his new limbs and might walk in six or seven months, the head surgeon said Tuesday.

A Spanish medical team led by renowned surgeon Pedro Cavadas carried out the delicate transplant in a 10-hour overnight operation ending Monday morning at a hospital in the eastern city of Valencia, AFP reports.

The patient, a man in his 20s who had both legs amputated above the knee after a traffic accident, could begin to move his new legs in three weeks and support his own weight with them in three months, he said.

In October 2008, he carried out the first double arm transplant in Spain and the second in the world, and in August 2009 he performed Spain's first face transplant.

For the double leg transplant, more than 50 personnel were involved including surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists and transplant coordinators, the Valencia regional government said in a statement.