Surgeons Successfully Graft Human Ear to Patient’s Foot for Preservation

In an unprecedented medical procedure, doctors in China have surgically grafted a patient’s severed ear to her foot to preserve it for future reattachment. The patient, identified by her surname, Sun, suffered severe injuries in a workplace accident involving heavy machinery that resulted in the loss of a significant portion of her scalp and her ear, according to Qiu Shenqiang, deputy director of the microsurgery unit at Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan.

The extensive damage to Sun’s scalp and vascular network rendered immediate reattachment of the ear impossible. During the initial assessment, Qiu noted that her scalp was torn and “split into multiple fragments,” with the ear completely severed. Given the extent of the injuries, the medical team realized that the skull would require months to heal before any reconstruction could occur.

To address this critical situation, the surgical team opted for a radical approach, known as a heterotopic graft, which involves attaching a body part to a different location on the body. They selected the foot due to the compatibility of its arteries and veins with those found in the ear. The skin and soft tissue of the foot also share similar characteristics with that of the head, making it a logical choice for this unique preservation method.

The initial grafting procedure took approximately ten hours, during which surgeons meticulously connected the delicate veins that supply blood to the ear. However, just five days post-surgery, complications arose when the ear began to turn purplish black, indicating a struggle for blood circulation. This condition led to blood pooling, putting the success of the graft at risk.

In a remarkable display of medical expertise, the surgical team performed nearly five hundred individual interventions over the next five days to stabilize the ear. This labor-intensive process involved manual bloodletting to restore proper circulation, ultimately saving the ear from necrosis.

After five months of healing, the patient’s scalp and neck were sufficiently recovered for the ear to be reattached. This procedure was successfully completed in October 2023. Following her recovery, Sun was discharged from the hospital, with her facial and tissue functions largely restored, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

This groundbreaking case highlights the innovative approaches being taken in modern medicine to address complex injuries and preserve vital body parts. The successful grafting of an ear to a foot demonstrates both the challenges and remarkable capabilities of surgical teams in the face of traumatic injuries.