Ring Cutters

brownbook · Nov 7, 2011

I am out of the ER needing a ring cutter part of nursing. But do you know glass cleaner (Windex) really does work to get rings off fingers?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Nov 7, 2011

We had the GEM ring cutter at my old ER -- http://ringcutter.com/. Just have the manual crank ones in the Army ER. :) Using that GEM, I did find that it got a bit hot for the patient, but worked fairly well.

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2011

The GEM is what we have as well as the old fashioned ones. The old ones are fine for cutting thru small rings and bands, but for heavy duty rings, class rings etc. this GEM is a must! It works like a Dremel tool!

marshmallowstar, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2011

I am out of the ER needing a ring cutter part of nursing. But do you know glass cleaner (Windex) really does work to get rings off fingers?

When we're cutting rings in the ED it's usually b/c of serious trauma to the hand, many times it's difficult to even see the ring d/t the swelling in the area so windex isn't really going to do the trick.

LouisVRN, RN · Nov 7, 2011

Granted this won't work in trauma situations but if you take dental floss and are able to wrap below the ring, slide under the ring and wrap up the rest of the finger then pull the distal end of the floss you will end up with a ring removed on a strand of dental floss.

EmergencyNrse · Nov 8, 2011

Ring cutters suck!

Go buy a pair of heavy-duty dikes.

Snips rings without all the drama.

Done in seconds...

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DennRN · Nov 8, 2011

I am out of the ER needing a ring cutter part of nursing. But do you know glass cleaner (Windex) really does work to get rings off fingers?

The sharp smell from windex is ammonia, a strong base. One of the characteristics of bases is that they decrease friction coefficient (make things slippery =p) soap is also basic compound.

I wouldn't use it on a crush injury or anything causing swelling, (except maybe on myself). I just thought I'd share this as an fyi since bleach might also cross someone's mind not realizing that they already used ammonia (the windex) and obviously the combination would result in a sink spewing out poisonous chlorine gas as you stand over it, so no mixing and matching trying to get a stubborn ring off in any setting.

The medical companies pay tons of lawyers to cover them if something goes wrong, nurses trying to spare a pt's heirloom won't get any slack if something goes wrong like a caustic burn or allergic reaction.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Nov 8, 2011

Ring cutters suck!
Go buy a pair of heavy-duty dikes.
Snips rings without all the drama.
Done in seconds...

We did use a pair of those (but they had a more rounded tip? Not sure of the exact tool name) on a guy's steel ring -- the ring cutter wouldn't do it. Worked well.

I'm sorry, but if you come in and your ring is too tight, it's getting cut. I'm not spraying any household cleaners on it -- for all I know you have a cut/abrasion under the ring. A lot of rings can be repaired by jewelers. If a patient refuses to have the ring cut and none of the other methods work (string/floss, KY jelly, etc.), they are free to sign out AMA or elope. :)

Rob72, ASN, RN · Nov 8, 2011

I'd second the Gem. With the increased use of Ti, tungsten and cobalt, especially for guys, manual cutters won't do.

Using the Gem, we would sometimes have someone else ("someone" being the pt, at times) use a 10 cc syringe /c tap water and a 20g angiocath on the end dribble water on the ring to keep it from getting too hot. Use a light touch, it does cut faster.