ShangRing- a disposable male circumcision device named after its Chinese inventor, Shang Jianzhong meets WHO’s prescribed standards for safe and effective male circumcision.
ShangRing, a first of its kind device made in China, is the second such device that meets the WHO-norms globally.
ShangRing has already been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sale and uses in the United States. The device also has a CE mark, required for sale in the European Union.
It is a sterile, single-use, disposable male circumcision device that consists of two concentric plastic rings. The inner is lined with a silicone pad. The outer ring consists of two halves that are hinged together at one end with a ratchet closure. Hemostasis is realized by the pressure applied by the interlocking rings which minimizes bleeding and eliminates the need for sutures. The whole process takes about three to five minutes unlike about 30 minutes before.
The process starts with choosing the appropriate size of Shang Ring using a special measuring tape. The inner ring is placed on the penis at the level of the coronal sulcus under local anesthesia. The foreskin is rolled over the inner ring, and outer ring is closed, sandwiching the foreskin between the two rings. The excess foreskin is cut using surgical scissors and 8 -10 small slits are made on it using a scalpel blade that allow the skin to expand on healing.
Seven days after the surgery the ring is removed after the wound has healed. There is no requirement of stitches, and the patients only need to be prescribed oral antibiotics.
Shang Ring has been safely used for more than 600,000 male circumcisions in China in the last nearly one decade.
According to sources, about less than 5 percent males opt go for circumcision in China. But the new circumcision device could prove useful for people in Africa.
Shang Ring is proving to be useful in places where doctors are in short supply, and nurses and clinicians have to conduct a circumcision. Unlike conventional surgical techniques nurses and clinicians can easily be trained to perform circumcision using Shang Ring. The biggest advantage of Shang Ring is the relatively short 3-6 minutes procedure. Men prefer the Shang Ring also because the cosmetic appearance of their circumcised penis is not affected. Apart from that there is little disruption to daily life while wearing the device.
As an innovative technology, the Shang Ring holds great promise for safe and effective circumcision services in settings where MC is not widely used and where the burden of HIV-disease is high. Clinical trials in sub-Saharan Africa have demonstrated that circumcision reduces HIV/AIDS infection risk by 50 to 60 percent.
The device comes in 22 different sizes ranging from 11mm to 38mm inside diameter of the outer component and is sterilised by gamma radiation (Cobalt-60 exposure). It has a shelf life of 3 years.
