Surgeons Successfully Graft Human Ear to Foot in Medical First

Doctors in China have achieved a groundbreaking medical feat by surgically grafting a patient’s severed ear onto her foot. The patient, a woman identified by her surname, Sun, suffered severe injuries in a workplace accident involving heavy machinery, which resulted in the loss of a significant portion of her scalp and her ear. This unprecedented procedure was performed at the Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan, under the direction of Qiu Shenqiang, deputy director of the microsurgery unit.

The accident caused extensive damage to Sun’s scalp and vascular network, making it impossible to immediately restore her ear. The surgical team faced a grim reality: the area around her skull required months to heal before the ear could be reattached. To ensure the ear could be preserved until then, the team decided to perform a radical approach known as a heterotopic graft, where a body part is attached to a different site on the body for preservation.

Selecting the foot as the graft site was based on anatomical compatibility. The arteries and veins in the foot share similarities with those in the ear, and the thin skin and soft tissue of the foot closely resemble that of the head. Despite the theoretical soundness of this decision, the approach had never been attempted before with an ear and foot.

The initial grafting procedure lasted approximately ten hours, during which the surgical team meticulously connected the complex network of veins. However, five days later, complications arose as the ear began to change color due to insufficient blood flow. Its veins struggled to return blood to the heart, resulting in pooling.

To address this issue, the surgical team undertook a labor-intensive process of manual bloodletting over the next five days, performing nearly 500 individual interventions to stabilize the ear. Once blood flow was restored, the team shifted their focus to gradually healing Sun’s scalp and neck.

Five months after the accident, the scalp and neck had sufficiently healed, allowing the surgeons to reattach the ear to its original position. This remarkable surgery took place in October 2023, and Sun has since been discharged from the hospital, with her facial and tissue functions largely restored, according to reports from the South China Morning Post.

This case highlights not only the advancements in surgical techniques but also the resilience of patients facing traumatic injuries. The successful grafting of the ear to the foot opens new avenues for future medical procedures involving complex injuries.