Medical Technology Achievement
Severed Hand Kept Alive on Man's Ankle
The procedure was carried out to keep Mr Wei's hand alive
Chinese doctors have saved a man's severed hand by grafting it
to his ankle, it is reported.
The hand remained grafted onto the ankle for a month before
surgeons could attempt reattaching it to Mr Wei's injured arm
Xiao Wei lost his right hand in an accident at work but could not have it reattached to his arm right away. Instead, the hand was kept alive by stitching it to Mr Wei's left ankle and "borrowing" a blood supply from arteries in the leg. A month later, surgeons were able to remove the hand and replant it back on his arm, according to Rex Features.According to the report, Mr Wei's doctorsfrom the Changsha region say he will need to undergo several other operations but they are hopeful that he will regain full function of his hand. "His injury was severe. Besides ripping injuries, his arm was also flattened. "We had to clear and treat his injuries before taking on the hand reattachment surgery."