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A ring-removal device invented in part by a Dartmouth, N.S., physician and used at hundreds of medical facilities across North America is featured in the latest episode of the hit HBO medical drama, The Pitt.
Dr. Kevin Spencer, who has worked in the Dartmouth General Hospital for 15 years, created the Ring Rescue cutter with medical engineer graduates Patrick Hennessey and Brad MacKeil in 2022.
“This is a great exposure opportunity for our product and for Nova Scotia and our homegrown invention, which is getting onto the world stage with what, I think, is arguably the biggest show on TV right now,” Spencer told CBC News.
The Ring Rescue team met The Pitt‘s lead actor, Noah Wyle, and show producers at a medical trade show in the United States last year where Spencer demonstrated how the device works.
Months later, their invention is featured in a TV series known for its authentic depiction of hospital emergency rooms.
“One of the things I love about that show is that it’s medically relevant and it’s clinically accurate,” Spencer said. “They really try to portray the profession of emergency medicine the way it is in reality.”
From Nova Scotia to across North America to Hollywood
On average, two people a week arrive at Dartmouth General Hospital’s emergency room with a ring stuck on their finger, Spencer said.
Despite it being a common problem, Spencer said solutions have frequently involved using tools that belong in a hardware store and not a hospital.
“Without the right tool, health-care professionals are often left improvising,” he said.
The ring-removal invention uses a guard that goes between the ring and the finger, protecting it from the sharp blade cutting through the ring.
The computer-controlled device automatically slices through the ring while preventing heat from burning the patient’s finger. The entire process takes roughly three minutes, Spencer said, and it’s a safer alternative to previous methods.
“A stuck ring can be a minor problem that’s solved at home with a little bit of soap and water, or it could be a serious problem that can strangle your finger and that becomes a time-sensitive medical emergency,” he said.
Spencer said the device is now available in more than 2,200 medical facilities across North America, including every emergency room in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The company has sold more than 50,000 blades to customers.
He said he’s heard several stories of the device saving someone from a serious injury.
“A classic case that we recently learned about was an 11 year old girl in Georgia who almost lost her finger,” he said.
The young girl went to two hospitals looking for help removing a stuck ring without success only for a health-care professional at a third facility to pull out the Ring Rescue cutter.
“[Her father] credits us with saving his daughter’s finger,” Spencer said.
The Ring Rescue team is hoping the exposure on The Pitt will get their invention into the hands of even more health-care professionals.
“This is kind of like the end goal, so I think I can retire after this,” joked Katie Redmon, manager of marketing.
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