Chinese doctors have claimed the world’s first successful double thigh replantation, allowing a factory worker who lost both legs in an industrial accident to walk again.
According to Chinese media reports, the 51-year-old factory worker, identified by his surname Jiang, suffered a severe accident on December 2, 2024, when industrial machinery severed both of his thighs at a plant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.
Jiang was rushed to Suzhou Ruihua Orthopaedic Hospital, where a team of more than 20 medical professionals worked to save his limbs.
“Using microsurgical techniques, they reconstructed and reconnected the blood vessels, nerves, bones and muscles to successfully replant both limbs,” the Jiangsu Trauma and Treatment Association said.
The patient underwent multiple procedures followed by nearly 20 months of intensive postoperative rehabilitation. The hospital said Jiang can now walk indoors with the support of a frame and perform most daily activities without assistance.
In an article published on August 14, the Jiangsu Trauma and Treatment Association claimed that while successful single-thigh replantations had been reported previously, there were no documented cases of a patient undergoing complete bilateral thigh replantation and subsequently walking again.
“The success of this case demonstrates that China’s microsurgical trauma expertise has reached a world-leading level,” the association said.
Recovery took nearly 20 months
Li Changsong, head of the hospital’s trauma orthopaedics unit, told the Yangtze Evening Post that Jiang was able to raise his legs three months after the accident.
Once sensation in his lower limbs had returned to the middle of his calves, he was discharged from the hospital to continue rehabilitation. Doctors cautioned that it remains too early to predict when he might be able to walk without a frame.
Jiang’s recovery was complicated by several medical problems. He developed localised skin necrosis following the operation and required flap reconstruction surgeries. He later underwent bone grafting and reinforced internal fixation of both femurs after severe open comminuted fractures resulted in nonunion.
Why the case is considered a world first
Li said the case was considered a world first primarily because both legs had been completely severed simultaneously at thigh level, an exceptionally rare and technically challenging injury.
The hospital had previously developed extensive experience in replanting individual limbs and lower legs. Its expertise in fracture fixation, vascular anastomosis and nerve repair also provided an important technical foundation for the complex procedure.
Doctors said Jiang’s ability to walk with assistance after the extensive injury represents a significant milestone in microsurgical trauma treatment, although his long-term functional recovery remains uncertain.
