EFN

Charla Nash, a Connecticut woman who suffered serious injuries at the hands of a chimpanzee, has been denied a face and hand transplant by the Cleveland Clinic, which in 2008 performed the first face transplant in the United States, but which has no experience with hand transplants. In a statement, the hospital announced that Nash’s injuries were too complex to permit the requested operations.

Nash’s family had been hoping that a face transplant would restore her faculties lost in the attack, and that receiving new hands would permit her some level of independence. They are now looking into other facilities both in the United States and abroad, and the Cleveland Clinic has indicated its willingness to work together with other institutions. The hospital has also noted that Nash has made significant progress since the incident and that further operations are planned.

Nash was mauled by a chimpanzee belonging to Susan Herold, a friend, in February of last year. The animal tore off her lips, nose, and eyelids as well as her hands. The attack also left Nash blind. Prosecutors have declined to charge Herold, though Nash’s family are suing her for $50 million dollars for failing to control the animal.