Head-to-Head Study Finds Ring Rescue’s Dolphin Ring Cutter® Successfully Cuts 100% of Modern Hard-Metal Rings

Findings highlight the need for medical professionals to have reliable, medical-grade devices capable of quickly and safely cutting tungsten carbide, titanium and stainless steel rings.

HALIFAX, N.S., CANADA, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ring Rescue Inc., a medical device company advancing the standard of care for ring entrapment, announced results from a head-to-head study published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine evaluating four purpose-designed ring cutting devices on modern hard ring materials. The study found that Ring Rescue’s Dolphin Ring Cutter^® successfully cut 100% (62 of 62) of rings tested across tungsten carbide, titanium and stainless steel and was the only device evaluated that successfully cut through all three metals with a 100% success rate.

Ring entrapment is a common problem encountered in emergency departments, EMS and fire departments, urgent care centers, peri-operative and other healthcare settings. When injury, swelling or compromised circulation makes ring removal urgent, clinicians need equipment capable of quickly cutting the increasingly hard metals used in modern rings. Failure to have appropriate equipment available may delay treatment, require patient transfer or put the patient at risk.

The study, “Evaluation of made-for-purpose ring cutter devices for the removal of modern hard ring materials,” was led by Jeffrey J. Perry, M.D., of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Acute Care Research Program at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Twenty-one emergency department professionals, including physicians, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and patient care attendants, completed 242 ring-cut attempts using the Dolphin Ring Cutter, GEM-II Ring Cutter, Raptor Rescue Response Shears and a stainless-steel manual ring cutter.

Key findings included:

• 100% cutting success: Dolphin successfully cut all 62 rings tested — 21 of 21 tungsten carbide, 20 of 20 titanium and 21 of 21 stainless steel. Overall success rates were 69% for GEM-II, 8% for Raptor Shears and 0% for the manual ring cutter.
• Approximately four minutes per cut: Dolphin averaged 251 seconds per successful cut across tungsten carbide, titanium and stainless steel rings. This demonstrates consistent, efficient performance and a practical solution in minutes to a longstanding challenge.
• Highest ease-of-use and user confidence ratings: Emergency department professionals rated Dolphin 4.8 out of 5 for both ease of use and confidence, the highest ratings among the devices evaluated.

The researchers also highlighted the risks associated with improvised approaches to ring removal. General-purpose hardware rotary tools, such as Dremel devices, were excluded from the evaluation because they are not medical devices and have been associated with significant injury risk when repurposed as ring cutters. The paper cites a published case of thermal injury resulting in finger amputation following ring cutting with a high-speed metal burr.

The study authors concluded that the Dolphin Ring Cutter was the “optimal tool out of the four tools assessed” for cutting modern durable ring metals. They identified the Dolphin as the only consistently effective and efficient tool among those evaluated, noting that emergency departments require reliable tools capable of managing modern durable ring metals and that inadequate equipment may result in delayed treatment and increased risk of injury.

The study was conducted using rings mounted on manikin hands. Outcomes included successful cutting, time to successful cut, ease of use and user confidence. Ring materials were not disclosed to participants, and cutting techniques and blade-changing protocols followed each manufacturer’s instructions. The study was funded by Prince Edward Island BioAlliance.

“A stuck ring can go from uncomfortable to urgent to critical as swelling increases and circulation becomes compromised. That is no time to discover your tool can’t cut the ring,” said Kevin Spencer, M.D., an emergency medicine physician and Co-Founder and CEO of Ring Rescue. “These findings give healthcare professionals clear, evidence-based direction on the equipment needed to manage the modern, durable ring materials they commonly encounter. Ring Rescue was built to address this challenge, and this study demonstrated exactly what clinicians need: ease of use, a high degree of confidence, and consistent cutting success in minutes, across tungsten carbide, titanium and stainless steel rings. We’re proud to have advanced the standard of care for this common medical problem.”

About Ring Rescue

The Ring Rescue Kit is a two-part medical device system designed to provide healthcare professionals with both non-destructive and cutting-based options for clinical ring extraction. The Ring Rescue Compression Device uses pneumatic compression to temporarily reduce finger swelling to help facilitate non-destructive ring removal when preservation of the ring is appropriate. The Dolphin Ring Cutter is a powered, computer-controlled medical device ring cutter that is easy-to-use and designed to safely cut any ring metal including titanium, tungsten carbide, and stainless steel. Together, the devices provide healthcare professionals with safe, reliable and fast options for managing a range of ring entrapment cases.

About Ring Rescue Inc.

Ring Rescue Inc. is advancing the standard of care for safe and effective management of stuck ring emergencies. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Kevin Spencer, Patrick Hennessey and Brad MacKeil, Ring Rescue products are used by hospitals, EMS, fire rescue and other medical professionals across the United States and Canada.

Attachments

• Head-to-Head Study Finds Ring Rescue’s Dolphin Ring Cutter® Successfully Cuts 100% of Modern Hard-Metal Rings
• The Ring Rescue Kit

Mark Reis
Ring Rescue
 (888) 640-7464
mark.reis@ringrescue.com