Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery Question

[Absolute]

I'm sure most of you have seen the picture of some poor guy in an ER who's missing most of his face from the nose down, ostensibly from a motorcycle accident. If you haven't, a search on Google images for "motorcycle accident" should bring it up rather quickly, but be aware that it's horrifically gory.

Anyway, I was wondering just how much modern medicine could do for an injury like that. I wouldn't imagine that it be very much - he's missing his entire jaw, and it seems like nearly all of his facial muscles. But perhaps I'm wrong.

Also, does anyone know the story behind that photo, or anything about what happened to the guy? It looks like he'd be at risk of dying from blood loss alone.

[Padeye]

FWIW I've read that his injury was caused by him chewing on a blasting cap or possibly using his teeth to crimp one to a fuse.

[picunurse]

I haven't seen the picture you mentioned, but I've cared for trauma patients with massive facial injuries. Reconstruction can take a very long time. Chins, cheek bones, and noses can be replaced. Bones are replaced with plastic or metal. Skin can be stretched using pedicle grafting
Eye lids and lips are tough, because the skin is specialized.
I had a patient who put a gun under his chin, blowing away his mandible, tongue, most of his maxilla, to the zygomatic arches, his nose and one eye. It took almost 7 years, but he eventually looked relatively normal. He couldn't talk. They can't replace a tongue as far as I know.