FAQ’s

The T-RING is the world’s first “One-size-fits-all” tourniquet for digits, and the only digit tourniquet proven to apply a safe and effective pressure on all digit sizes. The T-RING automatically adjusts to the size of any digit, becoming “wider” when placed onto larger digits. This spreads a potentially greater pressure over a larger surface area, resulting in an ideal pressure of 150-160 mmHg on every digit size – enough to immediately stop bleeding without the risk of injury. This is the opposite of current ring tourniquets that apply a greater pressure to a smaller surface when stretched, resulting in rapid & unsafe increases in pressure.

The T-RING is recommended for use on every finger laceration, especially the small, minor appearing ones. Finger injuries are a common source of litigation, usually due to missed tendon and nerve injuries and missed foreign bodies. Most missed injuries occur on small (< 2cm), innocuous looking finger lacerations; as these wounds are commonly explored without adequate hemostasis.  Experts agree that the most critical aspect in the management of digit injuries is a thorough exam in a bloodless field. ACEP’s Emergency Care of the Hand:  “It is critical to wound management that the wound is carefully explored in a bloodless field, obtained through careful tourniquet application”.
The good news is that greater than 95% of finger lacerations do not have a deep tissue injury; these small skin lacerations are ideal for Topical Laceration Closure™ (TLC™).  With the T-RING already in place, simply close the wound with the T-STRIP, seal with Dermabond, wait 1-2 minutes and remove the T-RING.

The central grey ring of the T-RING and T-RING are exactly the same – this is the tourniquet portion that applies the “ideal pressure” on any size digit. The only difference between the two versions is the original T-RING has a solid outer red ring, while the T-RING FLEX has end “tabs” and is entirely flexible. The original T-RING can be snapped, allowing the tourniquet’s inner opening to be stretched wider for application over flaps, deformities or onto very large digits. There is no need to snap the T-RING FLEX, simply grab the tabs and stretch for simple, safe application and removal.

The T-RING FLEX is recommended for providers in hospital, urgent care and office settings: it is even easier than the T-RING to stretch and apply; and its soft, narrow design makes it perfect for use on tiny digits and the narrow spaced between toes.  The T-RING’s solid outer ring allows easy one-handed application – perfect for self-application in pre-hospital settings. The T-RING remains a favorite for military, law enforcement, EMS and others in the pre-hospital setting.

It is simple – using a tourniquet has significant risks of injury to the delicate digital vessels and nerves if too much pressure is applied. To minimize the risk of injury, the literature states you must ALWAYS use the lowest pressure necessary to achieve hemostasis. While only 110-130mmHg is necessary to occlude the digital arteries, most digit tourniquets apply several times this amount.  
The T-RING is a breakthrough in digit tourniquet technology, solving the problem of excessive and inexact pressure.  The one-size-fits-all T-RING automatically adjusts to any digit size to apply the same ideal pressure every time. This was demonstrated in a 2010 study (Lahham, WJEM);  the T-RING  applied  the exact same pressure (152 mmHg) on the smallest (45 mm circumference) and largest (85 mm) finger. The T-RING immediately stopped bleeding on all digit sizes, while applying the lowest pressure of all tourniquet methods- every time.  With the T-RING, we now have a digit tourniquet that anyone can apply onto any size digit and you’ll know you have a safe and effective pressure every time.
With these advances in digit tourniquet technology, it is no longer acceptable to use tourniquet methods that apply unknown or excessive pressure:
“Traditional methods of tourniquet application to digits have all been found to exceed the pressure required for digital haemostasis, and so dramatically increasing the risk of neurovascular injury. These potential injuries can be devastating for the patient. The T-Ring™ tourniquet is now used to replace these other methods. It is a one size fits all tourniquet, which applies even pressure to any digit creating the required bloodless field with minimal pressure.“ (Trauma & Emergency Care,  Elsevier’s 2019)
The T-RING & T-RING FLEX are also very conspicuous – virtually impossible to forget on a digit.  Lower profile methods, including surgical gloves and silicon bands have been forgotten on digits, resulting in digital necrosis and digit amputation; leading experts to advise they should not be used.