Chinese doctors have carried out what is believed to be the world’s first successful operation in which a woman’s torn off ear was temporarily grafted onto her foot before being reattached to her head.
Devastating workplace accident
The woman suffered catastrophic injuries in a workplace accident in April when heavy machinery tore away her ear along with a large portion of her scalp. Medical news social media account Yixue Jie, also known as Med J, reported the case, which was later cited by the South China Morning Post.
According to SCMP, Qiu Shenqiang, deputy director of the microsurgery unit at Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan, said the injuries were life threatening. The scalp, neck and facial skin had been torn and “split into multiple fragments”, while the ear had been “completely severed along with the scalp”.
Standard treatment fails
When the patient arrived at hospital, doctors from the hand, foot and reconstructive microsurgery team immediately attempted to repair the scalp using conventional techniques. However, the extensive damage to the scalp tissue and its vascular network meant the procedure failed.
As the skull tissue needed time to heal, the surgeons were unable to reattach the ear immediately. This forced the team to find an innovative way to keep the severed ear alive until reconstruction became possible.
Radical decision to save the ear
{{/usCountry}}As the skull tissue needed time to heal, the surgeons were unable to reattach the ear immediately. This forced the team to find an innovative way to keep the severed ear alive until reconstruction became possible.
Radical decision to save the ear
{{/usCountry}}Qiu’s team ultimately decided to graft the ear onto the top of the patient’s foot. He explained that the arteries and veins in the foot were of a suitable calibre and highly compatible with those of the ear. The skin and soft tissue were also of similar thinness to the head, requiring minimal adjustment after transplantation.
The procedure had no precedent or documented successful cases to draw upon. The initial grafting operation lasted 10 hours. One of the biggest challenges was connecting the ear’s extremely fine blood vessels, measuring just 0.2 to 0.3 mm in diameter, a task requiring exceptional microsurgical skill.
Life saving complications and recovery
Five days later, the team faced another crisis when venous reflux disrupted blood flow, turning the ear a purplish black. To save it, doctors carried out manual bloodletting around 500 times over five days.
Meanwhile, the patient’s scalp was reconstructed using skin grafted from her stomach, SCMP reported.
More than five months later, after swelling had subsided and all surgical sites had healed, the team successfully reattached the ear in a six hour operation in October.
The patient, identified only by the surname Sun, has since been discharged. Her facial appearance and tissue function have largely recovered, though she will undergo minor procedures to restore her eyebrows and reduce scarring on her foot.