Ammon News - A pair of rings accidentally thrown into the trash at an Iowa hospital were recovered thanks to medical staff, maintenance workers and a portable X-ray.

Susan Sinnwell said she didn't realize until the day after having an X-ray performed on her hand at Grundy County Memorial Hospital that she had thrown the napkin containing her grandparents' wedding rings into the trash.

"When I threw the napkin away, it sounded funny when it hit the garbage," Sinnwell told Iowa's News Now. "But I didn't think anything of it at the time."

Maintenance crews set about the process of searching for the rings, and discovered the trash in question had been mixed with several days worth of waste and put through a compactor.

They went through 50 to 60 trash bags using a metal detector, but had no luck.

Craig Buskohl, imaging manager at the hospital, brought a portable X-ray machine to the hospital's ambulance bay to more quickly search through the garbage.

He said it took about 45 minutes and 35 images to locate the rings.

"It was really rewarding," Buskohl said. "Honestly, I didn't think we were going to find them but we did."

Sinnwell was grateful to have the rings returned to her.

"From the moment I connected with the team at GCMH, I felt reassured by their calm, caring approach," she told hospital officials.

UPI