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For all of the veterans out there who suffered severe injuries to their genitals: we have great news.
Researchers at John Hopkins University will perform the first penis transplant in the U.S. in 2016, in hopes of continuing onward with the new procedure to help U.S. veterans.
John Hopkins has given the okay for doctors to perform 60 procedures after similar operations proved successful in other countries.
The demand for the transplant remains unclear, however according to the Department of Defense Trauma Registry, 1,300 men in the US military suffered injuries to their genitals between the years of 2001 and 2013. The majority were under the age of 35 and lost a portion of their testicles or penises.
In an interview with the New York Times, W.P. Andrew Lee, the chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, “These genitourinary injuries are not things we hear about or read about very often… [the injuries are] as devastating as anything that our wounded warriors suffer.”
Uhhh… yeah.
For now, the transplants will remain only available to veterans injured in combat. According to The Verge, the procedure will take 12 hours and cost between $200,000 and $400,000. All penises will come from deceased owners, which would probably be the most horrifying thing about this story if it weren’t for the astronomical price tag mentioned before. Here’s hoping you have some extra cash laying around!
[H/T: The Verge]
