HOW TO REMOVE A RING STUCK ON A FINGER!

Hi everyone, this week I have a slightly different video for you all. As a part of my away rotation project, I am making a video to contribute to the growing community of FOAM. FOAM stands for FREE OPEN ACCESS MEDUCATION (OR MEDICAL EDUCATION). It is basically a collection of FREE medical education resources that can be accessed online by students and healthcare professionals. It exists in several different forms including but not limited to podcasts, blog entries, online videos, and so much more.

In this video I talk about how to remove stuck rings in the emergency department. There are several different techniques and a good physical exam and clinical judgement should be used to pick the best method for a given situation.

Some of my favorite emergency medicine FOAM resources:

References from this video:
Inoue S, Akazawa S, Fukuda H, Shimizu R. Another simple method for ring removal. Anesthesiology 1995;83:1133-4.

McElfresh, Ec, Peterson-Elijah RC. Removal of a right ring by the rubber band. J Hand Surg [Br] 1991;16:225-6.

Thilagarajah M. An improved method of ring removal. J Hand Surg [Br] 1999;24:118-9.

[beardsscrubs]

I've actually seen the string wrap method done in person and the woman was so relieved that her ring wasn't cut off.

Sometimes it's all about the little victories in medicine.

[cindylau]

Hi! Your video was a life saver! It helped me get 2 rings off my left hand after it swelled up due to some inflammation. The dental floss trick didn't work for me, but the surgical glove did the trick!! I put some lotion around the bottom of my finger, too, which helped the ring slide up the glove. I was so stressed. This saved me a trip to ER. Thank you!! I see this video was made in 2017. You're probably a successful ER doctor by now (2023). All the best to you! : )

[Peter-sbdg]

My wife's finger swelled up trapping her 39 years old "Russian" (3 interlocking gold bands) wedding ring. I tried using the "elastic tape" wrapping system to get ring off but poking the elastic between the swollen finger and the three bands of gold with scissors/tweezers was painful, so instead, I got a 8-10 inch piece of copper wire, bent it double and slipped it under the ring before starting to wrap (a little curvature built in along the length of the wire helped lift the loop of wire away from the finger after it was passed under the ring). I wrapped the finger and when finished wrapping, simply pushed the loose end of the elastic through the loop in the copper wire and then withdrew the copper wire. The elastic was then pulled under the ring rather than having to be pushed and prodded through. This worked a treat, while the round wire meant that it had a blunt profile while passing under the ring so helping separate swollen flesh from metal as it went and making it easier to pass. Hope someone finds this helpful.

[computergeek]

hey I have watched all of your videos and you are managing your time very smartly I love your channel keep up the good work.

[bessofhardwick]

Thanks so much! Just managed to get a ring off my husband's finger. His finger was going purple. Thanks a million! I'm subscribing as a thank you :)

[roxannejames]

Had to get my wedding ring off to prepare for surgery. String method never worked but the finger glove method DID! Thank you sooo much!

[elizabethboctor]

Saw this on the group you posted this on and was so confused because I saw it here on youtube first haha. I won't say which rotation you're doing, but I did the same one last year. Enjoy it.

[miteyjan]

Just removed a ring from our daughter's swollen finger due to a bug bite reaction. Homeopathic apis brought the swelling down and the surgical glove technique took care of the rest. Thanks so much!

[HooliganBMars]

*watches video to end despite not having a ring stuck on my finger cos fav Med Youtuber*

[yusra]

Amazing video 👌🏻love to see you doing these kinds of videos because you just sound more and more like a professional physician each time. Love your channel ❤️

[michaliaromer]

Surgical glove method worked like a charm on my swollen ring finger. Thanks a million.

[chesneyallen]

I’ve seen the ring cutter and string techniques. Didn’t want to cut the ring, and the string method didn’t work for me after multiple tries. My finger was just too swollen. The glove method finally did the trick though!!! Thank you!

[redwatermelon]

My sister had allergies and her hands were swollen so she went to the jewlery shop where she bought the ring and they've cut it nicely so they can put it back together so it looked like always! A lot of people go to the ER for this problem where they destroy their ring because, unfortunately, they don't know for this option! :)

[esraareda]

Notification SQUADDDD !!! love u Jamie 💘💘💘💘 the surgical glove got me falling of the bed. I wish i'd knew it sooner.

[Kincsokee]

your new glasses (new for me) fit you perfectly!

[mariasevere]

Thanks Jamie! That was indeed a very interesting video. You dare a natural. Looking forward to more videos like this.

[alekhyaganti]

Surgical glove technique is good.I know only that draw string method.Nice video Jamie..!☺☺

[farhatarig]

I absolutely loved this video...great work👍

[MedicEne]

This is awesome Jamie! How does one submit videos to Foam?

[DavidHindin]

LOVE this one, Jamie! Much better than what we sometimes do at the hospital - i.e. cutting someone's ring off entirely :X