First in the World! Chinese Surgeons Successfully Transplant a Patient's Ear That Was Lost

JAKARTA - The Chinese medical world has made another breakthrough, when surgeons in the country successfully transplanted a patient's ear, becoming the first in the world, last month.

The transplant was carried out on the patient's leg, before being returned to its place by a team of doctors, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

According to the media, the woman's ear was torn off in a work accident due to a heavy machine that also tore off most of her scalp, causing a life-threatening injury.

The surgical team immediately tried to repair the scalp, said Qiu Shenqiang, deputy director of the micro-surgery unit at the East Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan, as reported by Anadolu (19/1).

However, the accident had caused damage to the scalp tissue and its vascular network, which meant the ear could not be reattached until the tissue healed, said Qiu.

Surgeons decided to graft the ear onto the top of his leg to keep the organ alive until it was ready to be reattached.

"The decision was made because the arteries and veins in the legs are very similar to the arteries and veins in the ears," Qiu explained.

For five months, the woman's scalp and neck healed with the help of a skin graft taken from her abdomen.

In October, surgeons successfully performed a six-hour procedure to return his ear to its original place.