A woman had her severed ear temporarily attached to her foot after a horrific factory accident left surgeons fighting to save it.
The victim, surnamed Sun, suffered catastrophic injuries when her hair became trapped in machinery, ripping away skin from her scalp and neck and completely tearing off her left ear.
She was rushed to hospital where doctors realised conventional reattachment would be impossible due to the extent of the damage.
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Dr Qiu Shenqiang, who led her treatment, said the blood vessels around the detached ear were “severely damaged,” some measuring just 0.2–0.3 millimetres in diameter.
To keep the ear alive, surgeons decided to attach it to the instep of her right foot, where thinner skin and matching blood vessels could maintain circulation, as reported by Need To Know.
The womans ear following the factory accident, before surgeons attempted reattachment. (Picture: Jam Press)
The procedure – known as heterotopic grafting – is used in microsurgery but is rarely carried out for ear replantation.
During the months that followed, Ms Sun had to protect the fragile graft, wearing loose footwear and keeping physical activity gentle.
After five months of ‘parasitic growth’, surgeons at Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital in Jinan, China, were finally able to transplant the ear back to its natural position.
Ms Sun was reportedly moved to tears when her stitches were removed, thanking the medical team for their painstaking work.
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The transplanted ear on Sun’s foot. (Picture: Jam Press)
