Everyone likes to watch those TV shows about emergency room life, where trauma victims roll through the door on gurneys, with blood squirting all over the place.
One common scenario is the unfortunate victim who accidentally amputates his finger.
The person comes in by ambulance with the stump bandaged up to stop the bleeding, and what do you see? You see the nurse place the amputated finger on ice, before the surgeon strolls in to save the day by reattaching the body part.
This scenario is pretty close to the truth, and is commonly what you'd expect happens in the ER.
But, is it the right thing to do? What's the best way to preserve an avulsed or amputated body part? Finger avulsion or amputation is a common ER situation.
To best preserve a severed body part, you NEVER place it directly on ice.
This is because, the amputated body part is no longer is perfused (lacks circulating blood).
Therefore it freezes much easier and is prone to immediate frostbite and critical vascular damage.
If you want a prayer of saving the amputated body part, avoid direct contact with ice.
Cold however, does slow down tissue death due to lack of oxygenation.
A solution or slurry of saline water with a little ice is the way to go.
In a pinch, you can make some saline, with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in with 2 cups of water.
Pure water is a poor preservative.
For dental avulsions, or getting a tooth knocked out, it's the same idea.
You want to handle the tooth by the crown only, avoiding touching the root.
The goal is to protect the periodontal ligament which holds the tooth in.
You can rinse the tooth off with clean water and attempt to place it back in the socket, before seeing the dentist.
Don't worry, you probably won't make the situation any worse.
Just make sure the victim doesn't swallow the tooth! If you have to bring the tooth to the dentist, place the tooth in a cup of milk.
Milk is the next best thing to a specialized medical solution, and can preserve the integrity of the periodontal ligament for about 3 hours.
One common scenario is the unfortunate victim who accidentally amputates his finger.
The person comes in by ambulance with the stump bandaged up to stop the bleeding, and what do you see? You see the nurse place the amputated finger on ice, before the surgeon strolls in to save the day by reattaching the body part.
This scenario is pretty close to the truth, and is commonly what you'd expect happens in the ER.
But, is it the right thing to do? What's the best way to preserve an avulsed or amputated body part? Finger avulsion or amputation is a common ER situation.
To best preserve a severed body part, you NEVER place it directly on ice.
This is because, the amputated body part is no longer is perfused (lacks circulating blood).
Therefore it freezes much easier and is prone to immediate frostbite and critical vascular damage.
If you want a prayer of saving the amputated body part, avoid direct contact with ice.
Cold however, does slow down tissue death due to lack of oxygenation.
A solution or slurry of saline water with a little ice is the way to go.
In a pinch, you can make some saline, with 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in with 2 cups of water.
Pure water is a poor preservative.
For dental avulsions, or getting a tooth knocked out, it's the same idea.
You want to handle the tooth by the crown only, avoiding touching the root.
The goal is to protect the periodontal ligament which holds the tooth in.
You can rinse the tooth off with clean water and attempt to place it back in the socket, before seeing the dentist.
Don't worry, you probably won't make the situation any worse.
Just make sure the victim doesn't swallow the tooth! If you have to bring the tooth to the dentist, place the tooth in a cup of milk.
Milk is the next best thing to a specialized medical solution, and can preserve the integrity of the periodontal ligament for about 3 hours.
SHARE
