An amputated hand remained attached to Xiao Wei’s ankle for nearly a month.
The 25-year-old worker lost his right hand in November 2013, when a drilling machine injured him. His arm injuries prevented it from being reattached immediately.
To preserve its blood supply, surgeons temporarily grafted it to the lower part of his leg while they treated his arm.
In December, at a hospital in Changsha, they reattached it. Reports described the operation as successful.
But that did not mean the hand was already functioning normally: Xiao Wei still needed more operations and rehabilitation.
Doctors hoped he would regain its function. For weeks, his hand had been connected to his own leg.