Naples, Ospedale del Mare: A sixteen-year-old's ear was saved after being injured by a propeller.

NNaples – Federico (not his real name) arrives at the emergency room at Ospedale del Mare shortly after noon. His face is pale, his gaze lost between pain and shock.

Beside him, a blood-soaked towel holds together what remains of his left ear, almost completely severed by a boat propeller. Only a thin strip of skin still ties it to his head.

The diagnosis was immediate and merciless: complete detachment of the ear, clear damage to all the cartilage structures, and a deep wound that ran from the temple to the nape of the neck. There was no time to waste.

He was urgently transferred to the operating room, where the Plastic Surgery team led by Alfredo Borriello, including Antonio Zaffiro, Barbara Maisto, and Armando Parisi, worked side by side with the emergency surgeons led by Mariano Armellino.

The work is meticulous: reconstructing every anatomical plane without sacrificing any structure, restoring the shape and integrity of the ear, suturing with millimetric precision.

"We didn't remove anything," Borriello explains, "we rebuilt everything, respecting aesthetics and functionality." Around the operating table, the nursing team moves instruments and materials with the precision of an orchestra.

After hours of surgery, the verdict: his ear is safe. Federico wakes up in the ward, surrounded by doctors and nurses who will carefully monitor his progress over the next few days. A few days later, he can return home, welcomed by the embrace of his family. In the coming days, he will be followed by the Plastic Surgery clinic for checkups.

“The staff intervened promptly and professionally, completing a very delicate operation” underlines the general manager of the ASL Naples 1 Center, Gaetano Gubitosa. "Our most sincere thanks go to all of them."

A thank you that, this time, brings with it an unharmed ear, a restored face, and the certainty that, when the healthcare system works, it can truly change a destiny in a matter of hours.

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Article published by Gustavo Gentile on August 12, 2025, at 18:21 PM

Gustavo Gentile

Expert in Diplomatic and International Law. He has been working in the publishing and communications world for over 30 years. He was a representative of local publishers in FIEG, Administrator of Canale 10 and General Manager of the Società Centro Stampa srl. A careful connoisseur of the Caserta reality.

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Read the comments

Louise46 says:

August 13, 2025 - 14pm at 32pm

The article is very interesting, but there are some things I'm not clear about. How could an ear fall off like that? There should be more information about what really happened to Federico and the condition of the vessel.