Chinese surgeons carried out an unusual procedure to save a woman’s torn ear by temporarily attaching it to her foot, allowing blood circulation to keep the tissue alive before reattaching it to its natural position, British media reported.
According to the Mirror, the worker, identified by her surname Sun, was involved in a horrific incident around five months ago when her hair became trapped in factory machinery during a shift. The accident ripped skin from her scalp and neck and completely tore off her left ear.
She was rushed to hospital, but doctors determined that conventional reattachment surgery was impossible due to the extent of the damage.
Dr Qiu Shenqiang, who led the treatment, said the blood vessels around the detached ear were "severely damaged".
To keep the ear alive, doctors opted for a rare microsurgical technique known as heterotopic grafting, temporarily attaching the ear to the front of the woman’s right foot, where thinner skin and compatible blood vessels could help maintain blood circulation.
Doctors advised protective measures, including wearing loose footwear and avoiding physical strain, to safeguard the fragile graft during recovery.
The procedure, while used in microsurgery, is rarely performed for ear replantation, according to the report.
After five months of what doctors described as “parasitic growth”, surgeons at Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital in Jinan were able to successfully transplant the ear back to its natural position.
The woman was reportedly moved to tears when her stitches were removed, thanking the medical team for their painstaking efforts, the report added.
