CHANGSHA (China) — A Chinese worker’s severed hand was kept alive by grafting it to his left ankle, allowing it to be re-attached to his body.

Mr Xiao Wei lost his right hand in an accident at work but could not have it reattached to his arm immediately.

Instead, the hand was kept alive by stitching it to Mr Xiao’s left ankle and “borrowing” a blood supply from arteries in the leg.

At his local hospital in Changde, Mr Xiao was told that they were unable to save his hand. However, they added that doctors at a larger regional hospital might be able to help.

A friend drove Mr Xiao to Changsha and he arrived at the hospital there seven hours after the accident.

Doctors were hopeful they could reattach the hand but not immediately. In order to stop the severed hand from dying, they attached it to Mr Xiao’s ankle.

A doctor said: “His injury was severe. Besides ripping injuries, his arm was also flattened. We had to treat his injuries before taking on the hand reattachment surgery.”

Nearly a month after his hand was severed, Mr Xiao had recovered enough to undergo re-attachment surgery.

According to doctors, Mr Xiao will need to undergo several other surgeries but they are hopeful that he will regain full function of his hand. THE GUARDIAN