Orthopedics Hand & Wrist Finger Conditions Finger or Thumb Amputation Reattachment By Jonathan Cluett, MD Jonathan Cluett, MD LinkedIn Twitter Jonathan Cluett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Learn about our editorial process Updated on July 22, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Oluseun Olufade, MD Medically reviewed by Oluseun Olufade, MD LinkedIn Twitter Oluseun Olufade, MD, is a board-certified orthopedist. He teaches as an Assistant Professor of Orthopedics at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents First Aid for a Severed Finger When Not to Reattach When to Reattach Results of Reattachment Finger amputations are serious injuries that can cause significant changes in how you use your hands. Therefore, surgeons may attempt to reattach the severed digit if you cut off your finger. Not all fingers should be reattached, but you should have an immediate evaluation to determine the appropriate treatment for your injury. This article explains what to do in the case of a severed finger and when you should and shouldn't consider reattachment. JodiJacobson / Getty Images First Aid for a Severed Finger When a finger is cut off, wrap the amputated portion of the digit in moist gauze. Keep the finger moist but not wet or submerged in water. Saline (saltwater solution) is ideal, but a damp, clean paper towel is the best most people will have around. Next, place the wrapped finger in a clean zip-sealing plastic bag or sterile container. Then place the bag or container in ice. The amputated finger should not directly contact the ice. Likewise, avoid using dry ice, as it's too cold and can permanently damage the tissue of the severed finger. If you hope to reattach the finger, receiving immediate medical attention is crucial. Move Quickly Replantation is generally not possible for fingers that have been separated from the body for more than 12 hours. In cases where the injury is farther into the hand or arm, the time to reattachment is even shorter, as surgeons must reattach muscle tissue within 6 hours from the time of injury. When a Finger Should Not Be Reattached Much more common than situations when surgeons should reattach a finger are times where surgeons should not do so. In some cases, the damage is too significant, or the location of the injury may not respond favorably to reattachment. Crushed, Mangled, Contaminated Fingers A finger that is crushed, mangled, or contaminated (dirty) has usually sustained too much tissue damage. In those cases, it may not be a good choice to reattach the finger. This kind of damage is often seen with injuries from lawnmowers, snowblowers, chainsaws, and farming equipment. Fingertip Injuries Fingertip amputations seldom need to be reattached. That's because the capacity for these injuries to heal is quite good. Therefore, reattaching the tip of a finger may result in more problems than allowing the wound to heal independently. Single Finger Injuries Single finger amputations often cause more problems when replanted rather than amputated. This is because the goal of reattaching fingers is to restore hand function. However, a single finger that is cut off and reattached can often get in the way of grasping with the remaining digits. This is especially true if the one severed finger is the index or small finger. Injuries Too Far up the Finger Due to finger anatomy, amputations at the finger's base are much harder to recover from than amputations at the finger's mid-level. Furthermore, nerve function seldom recovers to provide a good sensation in injuries at the finger's base. Recap Sometimes, reattaching a finger is a bad idea. For example, if your injury includes crushed or mangled fingers, is a fingertip, is amputated too far up the finger, or involves a single finger, it may not respond well to reattachment. When a Finger Should Be Reattached There are situations when surgeons make special efforts to reattach a severed finger. These include injuries in children and with thumb and multi-digit amputations. Children Children are more likely to heal an amputated digit and more likely to have good function of a replanted finger. Therefore, surgeons make every effort to reattach severed fingers, especially in young children. Thumbs and Multiple Fingers The primary goal of reattaching amputated fingers is to restore the ability to grasp; this is best accomplished when the hand has a thumb and at least two other fingers. If the thumb or multiple fingers are cut off, extra attempts may be made to reattach the severed digits. Recap Children recover well from amputations and reattachments, so often, surgeons take steps to reattach their severed fingers. In addition, it is usually best to reattach thumbs and multiple fingers. Results of Reattaching a Severed Finger Modern surgical techniques have allowed doctors to reattach fingers with high success rates. About 70% of reattached fingers are successful, meaning the finger is viable (usable). However, even if the finger is usable, it may not function like it used to. The downsides of finger reattachment include that the person may: Have only about 50% of normal motionExperience significant loss of sensationHave difficulty with cold tolerance Often these downsides are better than not having the finger, but not always. Therefore, it's essential to reattach fingers in appropriate situations and not reattach the finger when a poor outcome is likely. Summary If you sever a finger, reattachment may be possible, especially if you take appropriate steps to preserve the amputated finger and receive medical care promptly. However, reattachment isn't always a good idea. In some cases, like when fingers are mangled or crushed, too little or too much of a finger was severed, or only one digit was injured, the injury may not respond well to reattachment. But, in cases where a thumb or multiple fingers are affected, or the injured person is a child, a healthcare provider will likely attempt a reattachment. A Word From Verywell If you sever a finger, the first thing to do is remain calm. Next, have someone collect the severed part of your finger, wrap it, and pack it in ice. In the meantime, seek immediate medical care. Taking these steps sets you up for the best possible outcome and chance of recovery. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 5 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Krauss EM, Lalonde DH. Secondary healing of fingertip amputations: a review. Hand (N Y). 2014;9(3):282-8. doi:10.1007/s11552-014-9663-5 Alphonsus CK. Principles in the management of a mangled hand. Indian J Plast Surg. 2011;44(2):219-26. doi:10.4103/0970-0358.85343 Venkatramani H, Sabapathy SR. Fingertip replantation: Technical considerations and outcome analysis of 24 consecutive fingertip replantations. Indian J Plast Surg. 2011;44(2):237-45. doi:10.4103/0970-0358.85345 Zhu ZW, Zou XY, Huang YJ, et al. Evaluation of sensory function and recovery after replantation of fingertips at Zone I in children. Neural Regen Res. 2017;12(11):1911-1917. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.219053 Brown M, Lu Y, Chung KC, Mahmoudi E. Annual hospital volume and success of digital replantation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017;139(3):672-680. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000003087 Additional Reading Boulas HJ. Amputations of the fingers and hand: indications for replantation. J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg. 1998;6:100-5.