A volunteer firefighter whose face was burned off in the line of duty, has successfully undergone the most extensive face transplant ever attempted.

Patrick Hardison (41) was injured while carrying out a search of a burning home in Mississippi in the US in September, 2001. The roof of the burning house collapsed on him, leaving him with extensive and disfiguring burns across his entire head, face, neck and upper torso.

Mr Hardison lost his eyelids, ears, lips and most of his nose, as well as his hair.

Prior to his face transplant, he had undergone over 70 surgeries for his injuries. He was brought to the attention of Prof Eduardo Rodriguez, a professor of reconstructive plastic surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Centre in New York.

The operation, which lasted 26 hours, began on August 14 of this year.

Dr Rodriguez and his extensive team transplanted not only the face, but the entire scalp, as well as the donor's eyelids and muscles that control blinking. According to the NYU Langone Medical Center, transplanting the blinking muscles is a milestone and a procedure that had never been carried out on a seeing patient before.

Mr Hardison was in danger of losing his sight because of his inability to blink. Blinking enables the body to hydrate and clean the eyes properly, which prevents infections and preserves vision.

The surgery also included the transplantation of the ears and ear canals and the transplantation of certain bony structures, such as portions of the chin and the entire nose.

The medical team said that there were signs of success within the final hours of surgery because Mr Hardison's new face was ‘robust with colour, indicating circulation had been restored'.

Meanwhile, the hair on his face and scalp began growing back immediately.

He was able to blink on the third day of his recovery and was sitting up in a chair within a week.

Now, almost three months later, ‘swelling has greatly subsided and he is quickly returning to the routines of daily life independently'.

Mr Hardison will have to remain on anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life to ensure that his body does not reject his transplant. He will also have to undergo extensive recovery and therapy, including speech and swallowing therapy and physical therapy to build up his strength and stamina.

Mr Hardison's donor was a 26-year-old artist from Ohio, David Rodebaugh, who died following an accident. He was a registered organ donor.