t’s truly amazing how far modern medicine has gone. Years ago, losing an ear would mean that it’s lost permanently, but through the efforts of these doctors, they’re giving a man the chance to hear again.
They’re waiting for the new ear to grow
The man, only known as Ji, lost his ear in an accident about a year ago. Guo Shuzhong, an expert in reconstructive surgery is using a groundbreaking procedure to help Ji “grow” a new ear.
The process involves injecting the Ji’s arm with a skin expander which was then injected with water to help expand the skin. The next step involves using a part of Ji’s rib cartilage and burying it under the expanded skin.
Doctors have now completed the first two steps in the process, and they’re waiting for the ear to grow to full size.
He had undergone several surgeries before
Ji lost his ear in a traffic incident. His ear was ripped from his head during the accident, and he also had some injuries to his face and cheeks. He has undergone several surgeries before for those injuries, but Ji has always said that losing his ear has caused him sorrow.
Doctor Guo has been a pioneer in reconstructive surgery, carrying out China’s first face transplant surgery back in 2006.
Ji seems very hopeful about the future of his new ear. He looked at the growing ear on his arm with a smile and said, “It looks exactly the same as my old ear.”
Modern medicine has truly come a long way
It’s just so amazing just how far modern medicine has come. Life expectancy has increased immensely over the past few decades, and leaps and bounds have been made in ensuring that we can have a higher quality of life.
Here are a few of the advances that modern medicine has made:
- Vaccinations. Every year, more and more people are being saved by vaccines, and research is always ongoing for new vaccines. Vaccines have made diseases like polio and smallpox almost a thing of the past, and outbreaks can effectively be controlled through the use of vaccines.
- Saving the lives of preemies. In the United States, 1 in 9 babies are born premature. Thanks to advances in modern medicine, the survival rate of preemies has improved dramatically. New technologies and techniques have saved the lives of millions of premature babies.
- Lowering the risk of SIDS. While medical science still has a long way to go when it comes to SIDS research, they have made a lot of progress. Making sure that your child sleeps in a crib and making children sleep on their backs are just a few of the techniques that can reduce the chances that a child will die from SIDS.
- Lowering the risk of cancer. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in children. Through research, the survivability of people, especially children with cancer have dramatically increased. Cancer is no longer a death sentence for people who are diagnosed with it.
As parents, it’s very reassuring to know that in the unlikely event that anything happens to us or our children, we can count on modern medicine to help us.
Sources: foxnews.com, rt.com, chinadaily.com, cbsnews.com
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