Replantation, or reattachment, is the surgical reattachment of a body part that has been completely severed from the body, such as a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot or leg, or the reattachment of an organ such as a kidney after an avulsion injury. It has been performed on body parts including fingers, hands, forearms, arms, toes, feet, legs, ears, the scalp, the face, the lips, the penis and the tongue, and it can be attempted on almost any body part in children.
Facts
FAQs
How quickly must a severed body part be replanted?
Within hours: about 6 to 8 hours for an arm and typically up to 12 hours for a finger.
Replantation requires microsurgery or bioelectronics and must be performed within several hours of the amputation, at a center with specialized equipment, surgeons and supporting staff. Parts without major muscle groups, such as the fingers, have been replanted up to 94 hours later, although 12 hours is typically the maximum ischemic time tolerated. Parts that contain major muscle groups, such as the arms, need to be replanted within 6 to 8 hours to have a viable limb. To improve the chances of success, the amputated part is preserved as soon as possible in a cool, close to freezing but not at or below freezing, and sterile or clean environment, wrapped in moistened gauze and placed inside a clean or sterile bag floating in ice water. Dry ice should not be used, because it can freeze the tissue.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Replantation (Wikipedia)
History section
The first known fingertip reattachment was performed by a doctor William Balfour on his son around 1803, as detailed in his publication in 1814.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replantation, lead section
Replantation or reattachment is defined as the surgical reattachment of a body part (such as a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot, or leg) that has been completely cut from the body.
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