A Case Report of Ring Avulsion Injury: Under-recognized for Its Unique Implications in Transfer

Ring avulsion injuries consist of a characteristic injury pattern resulting from sudden intense force pulling on a finger ring. While ring avulsion injury is a known entity in the hand surgery literature, there is scant description of the injury pattern in emergency medicine, much less its management and transfer implications in the emergency department (ED).

This is a report of a patient presenting to the ED with ring avulsion injury after a workplace accident, initially transferred to a tertiary care hospital with general hand surgery, who then required a second transfer for consideration of microsurgical revascularization.

In addition to fully assessing the degree of injury, including neurovascular and tendon involvement, emergency physicians must recognize cases of severe ring avulsion injuries without complete amputation as potential opportunities for microsurgical revascularization.