Ventilated Open Finger Splint for Healing Finger Injuries

My wife accidentally cut a deep piece of skin off her little finger over the knuckle. The wound couldn’t be stitched, so it had to heal naturally. After a few days, the wound had closed enough to form a scab, but we still needed a way to protect it without trapping moisture.

Everything we found at the pharmacy either stuck to the wound, softened the scab, or covered the finger too much, making it difficult to keep the area dry and breathable.

So I designed this simple open finger protector.

It is held in place with a single strip of medical tape around the fingertip, then lightly wrapped with gauze or a breathable bandage. The open-center design keeps pressure away from the wound while allowing airflow and making dressing changes quick and easy.

The model was created in PrusaSlicer using my usual “punk engineering” approach. 😄

I’ve also included the 3MF project, so you can easily adjust the ring diameters or other dimensions to fit your own finger.

Hopefully this design helps someone else in a similar situation.

Disclaimer: This is not a certified medical device. Use at your own discretion.

I wouldn’t recommend using this on a fresh, open, or actively bleeding wound, except perhaps as a temporary solution on the way to medical care if necessary. This design is intended for the later stages of healing, when the main goal is to protect the finger from accidental movement while keeping the wound dry and well ventilated.