Qilu Evening News reported on 5/12 that doctors at Shandong Provincial Hospital had successfully completed this rare facial reconstruction surgery. On the day her stitches were removed, the patient, identified as Sun, emotionally described it as her "second life" and expressed gratitude to the medical team for helping her regain the courage to live after the incident.

Sun's ear was temporarily "nurtured" on her instep. Photo: Qilu Evening News

The workplace accident occurred in April at a factory in Jinan. Machinery tore off a large section of Sun's scalp, face, and neck, completely severing her left ear. Doctor Qiu Shenqiang, deputy head of the Microsurgery Department, assessed the injury as "severe destruction", with exposed skull bone and a ruptured vascular system around the ear. This condition made direct reattachment of the ear immediately impossible due to a high risk of infection.

The primary challenge was that although the ear's blood vessels were intact, their diameter was only 0,2-0,3 mm, thinner than a strand of hair. Doctor Qiu likened the effort to save the ear and the patient's appearance to "dancing on the blade of a knife". The team opted for the heterotopic transplantation technique, choosing the instep as a temporary host site. This area offered compatible skin thickness and elasticity, along with a vascular system that precisely matched the ear, ensuring a stable blood supply.

The initial microvascular surgery lasted 10 hours under a high-power microscope. On the 5th day, a complication arose when the ear turned dark purple due to venous blockage. Doctors had to intervene urgently with blood-letting therapy to restore its pink color. For the subsequent five months, Sun lived with the body part temporarily hosted on her foot. She had to wear wide shoes and move carefully to protect the blood vessels nourishing the ear while waiting for her scalp to recover.

Last October, when health conditions permitted, the decisive surgical phase commenced. Under a microscope magnified 40 times, doctors performed intricate microvascular and nerve connections to return the ear to its original position. Blood circulation was restored well, marking the success of the complex autologous organ transplant.

The Chinese online community expressed astonishment at the progress of their country's medicine. Many comments hailed it as a "miracle", praising doctors for preserving an detached body part intact for such an extended period.

Binh Minh (According to World Journal, HK01, Sinchew)