What happens to a digit (like a finger) if circulation is cut off for a long time?
If circulation is completely cut off for a while, even a relitively short time, the part beyond the obstruction will die. The bad news is that if it dies and is still attached, there is a good chance that it will rot and the resulting infection will get into the blood stream and then the digit owner will die. But completely cut off is hard to do. Blood pressure is pretty high and sometimes there is a sneak path that is not cut off. A deer got her foot caught in my fence recently, and was hanging upside down for about 15 or 20 minutes. She had the fence wrapped around her leg and I was afraid she would have trouble. But when I cut her down, she limped away, and I saw her for several weeks, she appeared to be ok. If the digit is not quite dead, the blood will surge back in, and it will hurt like hell, portions of it may turn black, and eventually the body will get rid of the dead tissues. Huge bruises are like this.
