JINAN, China (Kashmir English): In an unconventional medical procedure, surgeons in China temporarily attached a woman’s torn ear to her foot after it was ripped off during a factory accident, British media reported.
According to the Mirror, the worker, identified by her surname Sun, met a horrific incident some five months ago in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan when her hair became trapped in factory machine.
The occurring ripped skin from her scalp and neck and completely tore off her left ear.
She was rushed to a hospital, but doctors believed that conventional reattachment surgery was almost impossible due to the extent of the damage.
According to Dr Qiu Shenqiang, who led the treatment, the blood vessels around the detached ear were “severely damaged”.
Doctors used a rare microsurgical technique called heterotopic grafting to save the woman’s severed ear, temporarily attaching it to her right foot to utilize the compatible blood vessels there and maintain circulation.
Doctors advised protective measures, including wearing loose footwear and avoiding physical strain, to safeguard the fragile graft during recovery.
According to the report, the procedure, while used in microsurgery, is rarely performed for ear replantation.
Transplanting the ear back
After five months of what doctors described as “parasitic growth”, surgeons at Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital were able to successfully transplant the ear back to its natural position.
