Doctors save man's hand by grafting it on to his leg for a month
Hand was briefly moved until the arm was ready
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chinese surgeons have saved a hand severed in an industrial accident by grafting it on to the man’s ankle for a month before reattaching it to his arm.
The surgery was carried on a factory worker known as Zhou at Xiangya Hospital in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in central China.
Zhou had his left hand chopped off during a work accident involving a spinning blade machine and was rushed to hospital where Dr Tang Juyu, head of microsurgery at the hospital, decide to operate to give him the chance to “revive” his lost hand.
The surgical team were unable to reattach the hand to Zhou’s arm straight away as the severed nerves and tendons needed time to heal.
So his hand was sewn onto his leg in order to keep it “alive” until the arm was ready.
Dr Juyu told the Telegraph: “Under normal temperatures, a severed finger needs to resume blood supply within 10 hours, but that time is even shorter for a separated limb.
“If a limb is short of blood for too long, its tissues die and it will be unsalvageable.”
This is not the first time Chinese surgeons have attempted this surgery, another factory worker’s hand was saved in 2013 at a hospital in Changde, also in Hunan Province.
The feeling in Zhou’s finger has already returned but he will need months of rehabilitation for it to go back to normal.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments