Doctors Save Girl’s Hand By Grafting It To Her Leg For 3 Months

In July, nine-year-old Ming Li lost her hand in a tractor accident. Her arm was too damaged to reattach it, so they grafted it to her leg instead. Three months later, the hand’s back on her arm and regaining function.

I’m having trouble finding much in the way of detail on the story, which admittedly seems almost too crazy to be true, but then there is that picture! Anyway, here’s the account Orange gives, ostensibly gleaned from the Zhoukou Evening Post.

When Ming Li arrived at the Zhengzhou hospital after having been run over by a tractor last June, her left hand was completely severed from her body and her arm was mangled. To keep her hand alive, doctors temporarily attached the appendage it to her right calf.

After three months, Ming’s arm had healed sufficiently to reattach the hand, which doctors recently transplanted. She can now move her wrist, and the reattached hand is reportedly showing a healthy pink colour, suggesting that circulation to the extremity has resumed. Two more surgeries are scheduled for the future to improve hand function and prevent scarring.

Good work, Zhengzhou hospital. I don’t know if there’s precedent for this type of surgery, but you’ve certainly given me my daily dose of mind blowing modern medicine. [Orange via Neatorama]