A farmer who lost his right thumb in a freak accident has had a new one crafted by surgeons from one of his toes in a groundbreaking operation.
The 50-year-old man had nicked his right thumb feeding livestock last year (2024), but it quickly became infected and he was rushed to hospital with sepsis, reports local media in Austria.
But when surgeons had to amputate it to save his life, they drew up a treatment plan to replace the missing digit with one of his toes.
Picture shows the man's finger after surgery, undated. A toe has became a thumb at the Feldkirch Specialist Hospital in Austria. Note: Hospital photo. (VLKH/Newsflash/NX)
Now, after a year, of preparation for the op, the patient is said to be almost ready to start work again.
Lead surgeon Dr Christian Knecht told how a team of four specialist reconstruction surgeons carried out the painstaking eight-hour op at the Feldkirch Specialist Hospital.
While one team worked on preparing the hand for the transplant, the other removed the second toe on one foot ready to be grafted onto the patient's hand.
Bones, nerves and blood vessels had to be put back together with microsurgery so the new digit could work almost exactly like the original.
Dr Knecht explained: "The advantage is that the second toe is narrower and visually better suited to the remaining fingers.
Picture shows from left: Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Rene El Attal (Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, LKH Feldkirch & Bludenz) OA Dr. Werner Ploner (Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery) OA Dr. Christian Knecht (Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Gabriel Djedovic, MBA (Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, LKH Feldkirch), undated. A toe has became a thumb at the Feldkirch Specialist Hospital in Austria. Note: Hospital photo. (VLKH/Newsflash/NX)
"In addition, the amputation of the second toe hardly changes the look of the foot at first glance.
"Then thirdly the big toe supports running. You can get along without it, but it’s better with it especially as this patient is on his feet a lot in his everyday work."
Post-op pictures show the new thumb, slightly paler in skin tone, sewn neatly onto the patient's hand.
Astonishingly just 10 days after the op earlier this month (May) the patient has been allowed home and is expected to make a full recovery.
Dr Knecht confirmed: "Our patient still needs support but his goal of being able to run his farm independently again at the end of May at the latest is quite realistic."
He added: "It will take about almost a year before our patient can feel something in the new thumb.
"And the feeling will probably no longer be quite as delicate as in the original thumb, but things like feeling heat and cold will certainly be found soon.
"He is already able to touch his index finger with the new thumb for holding things."
(MJ Leidig/newsX)