Doctors save man's severed hand by sewing it to his ankle

Published December 16, 2013

SkyNews

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  REX Features

A man who lost his right hand in an accident at work has had it successfully reattached after doctors grafted it to his ankle for a month.
Xiao Wei underwent reattachment surgery in Changsha, Hunan province, after badly injuring himself in November.
Initially, doctors said they would be unable to save his limb.
Mr Wei said: "I was just shocked and frozen to the spot, until colleagues unplugged the machine and retrieved my hand and took me to the hospital.
"I am still young, and I couldn't imagine life without a right hand."
However, doctors at a larger hospital offered a solution and opted to sew the hand to the ankle to stop it dying while they treated his other injuries.
Nearly a month after his hand was severed, Wei had recovered sufficiently to undergo reattachment surgery.