The world’s first double leg-transplant patient has had his legs amputated, a Spanish hospital has confirmed.
The amputation was carried out after an unrelated illness forced the man to stop taking anti-rejection drugs, according to Valencia’s Hospital La Fe.
The hospital said treatment of the unspecified illness was “more urgent”.
The transplant was carried out in July 2011 by surgeon Pedro Cavadas, who also led a team that carried out the first double hand transplant in 2006.
The first double-leg transplant was carried out in July 2011 by surgeon Pedro Cavadas, who also led a team that carried out the first double hand transplant in 2006
The man who received the double leg transplant, who was in his 20s at the time and has not been named, initially lost his legs above the knee in a road accident.
Pedro Cavadas and his team of more than 50 at Hospital La Fe took more than 10 hours to attach the new legs, a procedure that included connecting nerves, blood vessels, muscles, tendons and bone structure.
The patient was expected to take immuno-suppressant drugs for the rest of his life, but had to stop because the medicine was complicating the treatment of an illness he contracted, doctors said.
“In these cases the protocol is that, if the transplanted organ is not a vital organ, it should be removed from the patient so as to allow treatment of the illness that is more serious and urgent,” the hospital said in a statement.
Pedro Cavadas is referred to as a “miracle doctor” by parts of the Spanish media for his pioneering procedures.
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Pink impersonator Zoe Alexander took the rejection a little too personally, resulting in what turned out to be the most shocking audition ever to take place on The X Factor.
While the scenes were filmed earlier this year, Zoe Alexander’s audition was seen for the first time on last night’s premiere episode of the new series of UK’s X Factor – showing the full extent of the foul-mouthed rant which saw Welsh singer Zoe arrested.
Things started well for Zoe Alexander, who looked confident and poised as she made her way onto the stage to perform in front of the judges, Tulisa Contostavlos, Nicole Scherzinger, Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh.
With her blonde hair shaved on one side, and wearing a pair of stomach-baring PVC leggings with a tied shirt and bra top, there was no question of which singer Zoe Alexander was attempting to impersonate.
However, despite assuring the judges that she wanted to use The X Factor as a way to establish her own identity, Zoe Alexander then proceeded to sing a Pink song, belting out her hit track So What to the visible disappointment of the judges and the audience.
Sensing the performance wasn’t going too well, Gary Barlow stopped the audition, telling Zoe Alexander she should try again with a different song.
Pink impersonator Zoe Alexander took the rejection a little too personally, resulting in what turned out to be the most shocking audition ever to take place on The X Factor
Zoe Alexander then attempted to perform Emeli Sande’s Next To Me, but once again failed to impress.
As she awaited comments from the judges, Zoe Alexander was told by Tulisa Contostavlos that she shouldn’t have opted to sing a Pink song in the first place if she was trying to step away from her alter-ego.
She told Zoe Alexander: “Okay see the problem is, you came out saying that you wanted to find your own identity, it’s very confusing for me because I did feel like I was watching a Pink tribute act.”
However, Zoe Alexander then alleged that she had been told to sing a Pink track by the four judges – a claim Tulisa Contostavlos strenuously denied.
After receiving four “No” from the judges, Zoe Alexander then decided to exert her frustration by storming off the stage – throwing her microphone in a fit of anger in the process.
She was also seen taking out her anger on a waiting cameraman – grabbing the camera and knocking it to the floor.
But as she made her way off the stage, Zoe Alexander was met by her father – who works as a Tom Jones impersonator – who then dragged her back in front of the judges in a bid to plead her case.
Following a failed attempt to reason with the panel, Zoe Alexander ended up screaming profanities at the judges, much to the shock of the four judges.
She was then seen running off the stage, screaming and swearing while doing so, before she was met by her family, who attempted to comfort the visibly agitated singer.
After the audition, Zoe Alexander was arrested and cautioned for hitting a producer.
However, since then, Zoe Alexander has maintained that she was “stitched up” to make a better scene for X Factor viewers.
Zoe Alexander told the Sunday Mirror today: “They set out to make a total and utter fool of me. Even though this audition was in June, I’m still struggling to come to terms with what happened.
“I used to be so confident and I trusted people. Now I just don’t trust anyone. I can hardly sleep – I’m basically a nervous wreck.”
However, a show official told the paper that Zoe Alexander wasn’t made to sing the Pink song, adding: “Contestants are not told what to sing, they make their own decisions.”
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