Face transplant of Charla Nash, chimp attack victim, not in jeopardy: doctors

Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston say Charla Nash's face transplant is not in jeopardy, despite the discovery that her body is rejecting some of the tissue.

Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, director of plastic surgery transplantation, said Nash is doing well and that she is experiencing a "moderate rejection episode, which face transplant patients experience on occasion."

He said Wednesday he expects the rejection episode to be resolved within the coming week and Nash should be released from the hospital in the next day or two.

The Connecticut woman underwent a face transplant five years ago after being attacked by a chimpanzee.

Charla Nash says doctors have decided to end an experimental drug treatment and put her back on her original medication in the hopes of reversing the rejection.

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Nash had been taking part in a military-funded experiment in which doctors at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital tried to wean her off the anti-rejection drugs she had been taking since the 2011 operation.

Nash tells The Associated Press she would appreciate any prayers and is confident her participation in the experiment will provide information to help treat disfigured soldiers returning from war.