Ring Rescue
Helping professionals elevate patient care for stuck ring removal
Many people can relate to the unease of a ring getting stuck on their finger, but this dilemma can turn into a big problem if healthcare professionals aren’t equipped with proper medical devices to resolve the issue.
Inspired by the insights of a local doctor who deemed removing stuck rings time consuming and a nuisance, four engineering students at Halifax’s Dalhousie University devised an innovative solution to this all-too-common problem.
The students learned that in many cases, removing rings with traditional methods may cause a patient physical discomfort and/or be insufficient to solve the problem and decided to create a safe, easy, and non-destructive way to remove rings. Their fix? A “compression device” that shrinks the finger, allowing professionals to safely remove the ring without any damage to the ring or discomfort to the patient.
Dr. Kevin Spencer was a judge when the four students presented their ring removal fix as their capstone project at Dalhousie. Spencer, an Emergency Department physician and mechanical engineer, loved the idea and approached the students with a proposition to help develop and commercialize their product. Ultimately, two of the students (Patrick Hennessey and Brad MacKeil) co-founded Ring Rescue with Dr. Spencer in 2017.
Building on their initial medical device, the Compression Device, Ring Rescue has since designed a new product called the “Dolphin Ring Cutter.” The Dolphin is designed to cut rings made from any metal, including extremely difficult rings such as tungsten and titanium. This facilitates safe and easy ring removal by a single person. Together, the two devices comprise the Ring Rescue Kit, a comprehensive solution for stuck ring removal.
The startup, which currently has 17 employees, believes in fostering growth and skill development.
With ACOA’s help, Ring Rescue has been able to continually make product refinements based on user feedback, increase sales and marketing opportunities, and strengthen its workforce.
The Dartmouth-based company exports its products throughout Canada and the United States with plans to ship its products globally in the near future.
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Patrick Hennessey, says Ring Rescue is working towards a concrete solution to ring removal, helping many people along the way.
“Our mission is to become the global standard of care, and we are well on our way to doing that.”