Severed hand kept alive on man's ankle in Chinese hospital

[editor]

Bloomin' eck this is bizarre - and rather amazing - stuff.

Chinese doctors have saved a man's severed hand by grafting it to his ankle, it is reported.

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 doctors from 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.

See weird pic here:

Spoiler

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25405543

 

[Greebo]

Bloomin' eck this is bizarre - and rather amazing - stuff<snip>
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25405543

Weird, but great that they were able to save his hand and keep it viable until the arm was in a good enough condition to take it again.

 

[Coolfonz]

I'd keep the hand down there. You could tie people's laces together without bending down.

 

[wtfftw]

I'm pretty sure they've done something very similar on Grey's Anatomy.

 

[FiFi]

Attaching it to the lower leg makes sense. There is easy access to a good blood supply, if the patient is generally healthy in the first place.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Well why not? Ten years ago they were growing ears on mice.

Spoiler

 

[T & P]

For once, I daresay Shippy doesn't have that manga.

 

[Greebo]

For once, I daresay Shippy doesn't have that manga.

Don't challenge him.

 

[kabbes]

I like the fact that the only comment apparently made by Mr Cairian Healy of the Royal College of Surgeons in England was, "Meh, should have put it in the armpit." I paraphrase, of course.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Don't challenge him.

I'm basically urban's rule 34

 

[Indeliblelink]

Well why not? Ten years ago they were growing ears on mice.

Spoiler

They grew a nose on a man's forehead the other month.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...r-arm-reconstructive-surgery-medical-science/

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

They grew a nose on a man's forehead the other month.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...r-arm-reconstructive-surgery-medical-science/

That would make showering a lot tougher.

 

[SpookyFrank]

One question. What did they do with his foot? Stitch it to the end of his knob for safe keeping?

 

[Tankus]

Maybe nearer than we think.......

 

[Tankus]

For once, I daresay Shippy doesn't have that manga.

Be all over it already like a rash , I would have thought

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

aeon flux is not actually an anime

or at least not the way I define anime

it's a american/korean production

 

[smmudge]

It doesn't seem like the most convenient place to put it. Wouldn't it drag along the ground when he walked? What about putting on trousers and shoes and socks, that must have been difficult.

Although maybe all the metal sticking out of him might also play a part in that

 

[Buckaroo]

It's not that weird, with brain surgery they often implant bits of the skull in the stomach for safe keeping until they put them back in place.