How should an amputated digit be preserved for potential reattachment?

• A. Placed directly in ice water.
• B. Stored at room temperature in a sealed container.
• C. Wrapped in gauze soaked in sterile saline and placed in a plastic bag immersed in ice water.
• D. Wrapped in dry gauze and placed in the freezer.

Answer: (C)

Preserving an amputated digit for potential reattachment hinges on keeping the tissue moist, clean, and cool without causing freezing injury. The best approach is to wrap the digit in sterile saline–soaked gauze to prevent desiccation, place it in a sealed plastic bag to protect it from contamination and allow for handling, and then immerse that bag in ice water to maintain a low, nonfreezing temperature (around 4°C). This combination slows cellular metabolism and reduces ischemic damage without forming ice crystals that would injure cells.

Directly placing the part in ice water can cause cold injury to tissues, and drying the tissue with dry gauze or freezing it would similarly cause damage that lowers the chance of successful reattachment. Room temperature storage lacks the cooling that helps preserve viability.