Can a severed finger be reattached?

In life, some people may accidentally cut their fingers when cutting vegetables. If it is just a cut, this phenomenon is relatively easy to deal with, but if the finger is cut off, it is a more serious matter. If you can go to the hospital immediately after the cut, and find the broken finger, you can reattach it. But if the treatment is not timely, it is likely to leave a disability. So, can a cut finger be reattached?

1. Check whether the first aid on the scene is appropriate

If a finger is suddenly broken, it is necessary to take emergency measures. Whether the finger can be reconnected depends to a certain extent on whether it is properly preserved. Generally speaking, the first aid methods for a broken finger include stopping bleeding, bandaging, preserving the severed limb and rapid transportation.

1. Make sure to find the severed finger while performing first aid

During on-site first aid, if the severed limb is still in the machine, do not forcibly pull the limb out or turn the machine upside down to avoid further damage. The machine should be stopped immediately, and an attempt should be made to disassemble the machine and remove the broken limb.

2. Treat the severed finger and stop the bleeding

When dealing with a severed finger, sometimes the finger is not completely severed and there is still a little skin or tissue connected to it, which may have tiny blood vessels that are sufficient to provide nutrition and prevent necrosis of the finger. Be sure to be careful and properly bandage and protect it to prevent the blood vessels from being twisted or stretched. The wound can be compressed and bandaged with sterile or clean dressings. If there is bleeding from large blood vessels, a tourniquet can be considered to stop the bleeding, but the time the tourniquet was applied must be marked.

3. Incomplete finger amputation should be effectively fixed

If it is an incomplete limb amputation, the broken part should be fixed on a splint and the patient should be quickly transferred to a qualified medical institution for emergency treatment.

4. Store the severed finger in a dry and refrigerated manner

Unless the severed limb is severely contaminated, it generally does not need to be rinsed. It can be wrapped with sterile or clean dressings and stored in a dry and refrigerated manner, that is, first put it in a plastic bag and then put it in a covered container, and keep it around with ice cubes (if there is no ice at the moment, popsicles can be used instead). Do not let the severed limb come into direct contact with ice cubes to prevent frostbite, and do not soak the severed limb in any liquid.

In addition, in some cases, severed fingers can be eaten by animals such as pigs, dogs, and chickens. In this case, the animal can be killed immediately and the severed finger removed from the stomach. There is still a chance of replantation and survival. If there is any delay, the severed finger will be digested and denatured by the animal's gastric juice, making it difficult to survive.

2. Check whether the finger is properly preserved and the length of time

The correct way to preserve severed fingers: After being severed, fingers lose blood nourishment but still have vitality in the short term, but over time they will degenerate and rot. Once a finger is severed, it is best to wrap the severed finger with dry gauze or a clean towel, and then seal it with a plastic bag or other sealing material.

[Wrap with a clean cloth inside and seal with plastic film outside]: Refrigerating the severed finger can reduce its metabolic rate and maintain vitality. The temperature is lower in winter, so it is easy to do; in spring and autumn, especially in midsummer, the weather is hot, and it is particularly important to quickly refrigerate and preserve the severed fingers at low temperatures. The severed finger can be wrapped with a sterile dressing or a relatively clean cloth towel or other substitutes, and then sealed with a plastic film.

[Avoid direct contact of severed fingers with ice to prevent frostbite]: Place the severed finger in a suitable container such as an ice bottle, surround it with ice, and transfer it together with the patient to a nearby hospital with replantation facilities. Ice cubes can be taken from the refrigerator. If it is difficult to obtain at the moment, popsicles or ice cream can be used instead. The severed finger should not come into direct contact with ice or ice water to prevent frostbite and degeneration.

[Do not soak severed fingers in alcohol or the like; only use physiological saline for cleaning]: Alcohol can denature proteins, so it is absolutely forbidden to soak severed limbs (fingers) directly in alcohol. If you need to rinse, use only saline. Hypertonic or hypotonic solutions are harmful to tissue cells and will affect the survival rate of replantation. They should not be used to soak or rinse severed fingers.

[Sustainability time for severed fingers]: If a finger is severed, it can generally be reattached within 18-20 hours. However, this also depends a lot on the cause of the severed finger, the doctor's skills and the patient's cooperation after the operation.