Why Did an Ear Appear on Her Foot? A Medical Miracle Restores It After 5 Months

Ear Severed in Accident Revived by Transplanting to Foot
Successfully Reattached After Five Months... "A Rare but Effective Method"

A story has emerged about a woman in China whose left ear was completely torn off in an accident at a factory. The ear was temporarily transplanted onto the top of her foot, and five months later, it was successfully reattached to its original position.

According to recent reports from international media outlets such as the Mirror, the incident involved a woman in her 30s, identified as Ms. A, who was working at a factory in Shandong Province, China.

During her work, Ms. A’s long hair became entangled in a machine, resulting in severe injuries to her scalp, part of her face, and her left ear. She was immediately transported to the hospital, but doctors determined that immediate reattachment surgery was impossible due to extensive damage to the blood vessels and nerves around the amputated ear.

A woman in China who had her ear amputated successfully underwent surgery to reattach it after it was transplanted onto the top of her foot. Douyin capture

The medical team noted that the ear tissue itself was relatively intact. However, they faced the challenge that, without sufficient blood supply, the tissue risked necrosis. Therefore, the surgical team at Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital opted for a technique called "heterotopic replantation," in which the ear is temporarily attached to another part of the body to keep it alive. Ultimately, they chose the top of her foot, as its skin is thin and the blood vessels are similar in diameter to those in the ear.

The surgery to attach the ear to her foot lasted more than 10 hours. It was a highly complex procedure, requiring surgeons to use thread thinner than a strand of hair to connect microvessels only 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters in diameter under a microscope. Immediately after the operation, blood flow was unstable, causing the ear’s color to change frequently. The medical team monitored her closely around the clock, keeping in mind the risk of tissue necrosis.

The ear transplanted onto her foot gradually regained a healthy color. For the next five months, Ms. A lived with her ear attached to her foot. She stated, "I only wore loose shoes to avoid pressure, and I carefully controlled my walking speed and activity level."

Then, in October, the medical team performed a reimplantation surgery to return the ear to its original position. Although this was another highly complex operation, as they had to locate and reconnect the damaged blood vessels and nerves in her scalp from the time of the accident, the outcome was successful. The medical team explained, "Heterotopic replantation is a rare choice, but it is a very effective method for preserving delicate tissue, such as the ear."

Previously, in November of last year, there was a case in Vietnam where a woman’s severed arm was temporarily attached to her leg and then returned to its original position after two months. A similar case was also reported in China in 2013.