Woman's Severed Ear Saved by Grafting it Onto Her Foot Before Reattaching
A Chinese woman's ear was torn off in an industrial accident and saved by doctors who grafted it onto her foot for 5 months before successfully reattaching it to her head.
HealthGNGV Editorial Team4 min readLast reviewed September 28, 2026
In a medical story that has to be seen to be believed, a Chinese woman whose ear was torn off in an industrial accident had it grafted onto her foot as a way of keeping it viable for later transfer back to her head.
In a process called heterotopic survival, which involves grafting severed body parts onto different regions to ensure blood flow and tissue repair, the ear of 30-year-old Ms. Sun was attached to the top of her foot. After 5 months, surgeons successfully reconnected the ear to her head.
