If you are unfortunate enough to have a body part, such as a finger, severed in an accident, you should seek medical help immediately, says consultant plastic surgeon Kevin Cronin.
By keeping the finger clean and cold, but not frozen, you can also improve the chances of getting it reconnected, as follows:
Wash the finger under a tap or with sterile saline if available.
Wrap it in cling film or put it in a clear plastic bag.
Put the wrapped or bagged finger in the fridge, or, if you need to transport it, place the bag into ice, making sure the finger is not in direct contact with ice
Never put the finger in the freezer: it will develop frostbite.
Never put the finger in milk.
The window for reattaching a finger is around 20 hours. Body parts with more muscle, such as hands or limbs, are less forgiving and will die within two or three hours.