First-in-history: Chinese doctors save severed ear by grafting on foot
27 Dec 2025

In a groundbreaking medical feat, Chinese surgeons have grafted a severed ear onto a patient's foot.

The complex procedure was carried out on a woman who lost her ear in a workplace accident back in April.

The incident also caused severe damage to her scalp, neck, as well as facial skin.

Accident caused life-threatening injuries
Injury details

The woman suffered life-threatening injuries due to the accident involving heavy machinery.

Her scalp, neck, and facial skin were torn and "split into multiple fragments," while her ear was "completely severed along with the scalp."

When she reached Shandong Provincial Hospital in Jinan, a team of hand, foot and reconstructive microsurgery experts tried to fix her scalp using conventional methods.

Conventional methods failed due to severe damage
Surgical challenges

Conventional methods failed as the accident had severely damaged her scalp tissue and vascular network.

This led the surgical team to come up with a new solution, reattaching the severed ear by grafting it onto the patient's foot.

Five months later, after the scalp and neck skin (which had also been transplanted) had healed, and the surgical locations on the ear and foot had closed, the doctors put the ear back in place.

The patient has now left the hospital.