Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report   

Doctors have reconstructed a boy’s chin using tissue from his back after his helmet sliced off a chunk of his flesh while he was role-playing a character from the hugely popular online game PUBG.

The seven-year-old from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in north-eastern China, is said to have been wearing the plastic helmet around his neck when he tripped and fell on the visor.

The boy’s parents drove him to Harbin Fifth Hospital after realising blood was gushing from his bottom lip and chin, which had been sliced off by the edge of the plastic helmet.

According to Doctor Li Yuanjun, head of plastic surgery at the facility, the boy’s father had bought him the helmet as a gift.

It was part of a themed role-playing outfit – including clothes and a toy gun – based on available equipment and accessories in the popular online multiplayer and battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – otherwise known as PUBG.

The boy is said to be a “big fan”, and plays the game on his tablet every day, reports said.

Doctor Li noted that the tissue on the boy’s chin was necrotic, and healthy skin and flesh needed to be transferred from other parts of his body.

In an eight-hour surgery on 7th December, medics performed a free flap tissue transfer, recreating his bottom lip and chin using a section from the boy’s left shoulder blade.

According to reports, the tissue transplant was deemed a success five days later.

The boy is continuing to recovery at the facility, with Doctor Li saying he will require several more follow-up procedures.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.