Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Man’s hand is grafted onto his foot for transplant

livia rusu by livia rusu
June 22, 2014
in Health, News, Technology

ass

Chinese doctors have grafted a man’s hand onto his food in order to preserve it until they could transplant it back to its rightful place.

If a body part becomes severed from the body, there is only a limited period of time before it can be reattached – usually just 2-3 hours. Adding some ice to it will increase the period of time, but not by long. Without a blood supply, muscles and tissues cannot last long, and the damage may become irreversible.

Unfortunately, even when medical assistance is available, it’s impossible to immediately reattach the body part. Such was the case of Xiao Wei from China, who lost his hand in a work related accident. His entire arm was crushed, and unfortunately, the wounds were so severe that the doctors had other bigger problems to fix fast before reattaching his hand; also, the arm had to heal first, in order to be possible to reattach the hand. So instead, they attached it to his ankle, from where it could “borrow” the blood supply, thus surviving long enough; one month later, surgeons were able to remove the hand from the ankle and replant it back on his arm.

“His injury was severe. Besides ripping injuries, his arm was also flattened.”. doctors explained. “We had to clear and treat his injuries before taking on the hand reattachment surgery.”

So far, Wei hasn’t regained full control of his hand, but he’s making considerable progress, and doctors are confident that he will do so relatively soon. Grafting body parts onto other places of the human body is not entirely unheard of, but it is an extremely rare procedure – though it’s understandable (and quite admirable) that they chose to do this.

The Chinese are pretty experienced in microsurgery,” Mr Cairian Healy of the Royal College of Surgeons in England told the BBC. “And the concept of saving a severed part of the body by attaching it to another part of the body to give it a blood supply is well recognised. The ankle is a hard place to graft though. Usually surgeons would go for the armpit because the blood supply is better.”

 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Grafted mini muscles enable amputees to control robot hand with their minds
  2. This 25-year-old carried his artificial heart in a backpack for a year before receiving a transplant
  3. Which came first: the dexterous hand or the agile foot?
  4. Pig heart grafted to baboon abdomen survives for more than a year
  5. Pig heart grafted to baboons still keep beating after two years

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW