Prep Room Equiptment Flashcards
Centrifugal Pump
- Most widely accepted method of injecting arterial solution
- Typically has a large-volume tank holding as much as 3.5 gallons of fluid
- Allows the operator to exert constant preset pressure on the contents of the blood vascular system
- Duotronic and Dodge common
Needle injector
- Used for mouth closure
- Drives a barbed needle with attached wire into mandible and maxilla via a hammering mechanism
Injector Needle
Mouth former
Placed between lips and gums of the deceased to restore a more natural shape and form to the mouth when no teeth or dentures are present
Eye caps
Placed between the eyeball and eyelid of the deceased to restore the fullness of collapsed or desiccated eyeballs
Spikey contact lenses
Aneurysm Needle
- Instrument used for blunt dissection and the elevation of vessels
- Has an “eye” in the hook portion that allows one to pass ligature around a vessel
Aneurysm hook
Hemostats or Locking Forceps
- Used to clamp leaking vessels or to grasp small, slippery objects
- There are a wide variety, each with its own purpose
Freer Elevator
- Indispensable blunt dissection instrument
- Can be used as a precision spatula for application of petroleum jelly or massage cream
- Dumb name
Arterial Fixation Forceps
- Forcep nose is equipped with 2-3 grooves allowing for clamping down on arterial tubes to lock them in place within the vessel
- Damage to the vessel will result if care isn’t taken
Scalpel
Sharp cutting instrument often utilizing disposable blades*
Blunt Scissors
- Cutting instrument that can be used to open vessels
- Vary in length with pointed or blunted tips
Arterial Shears/Wire Cutters
Do not recommend for arteries
Separator
- Used to keep vessels elevated above the incision
- Often constructed of hard rubber, bone, or metal
Suture Needles
- There’s a variety of needles available
- All of them are designed to close a specific type of incision
Spring Forceps
- Used for grasping and holding tissues
- Limbs can be straight, curved, or angular
- Often used as a drainage instrument
Groove director
Always around, never used
Suture Thread
- Classified by the twist or cord
- The standard twist for mortuary use is 5
- Made of nylon, cotton, or linen
- Sometimes waxed
- Dental floss can serve as suture thread for small, concealable sutures
Arterial Tubes
- Designed to attach to the hose of an embalming machine and deliver arterial solution directly into the body
- Sometimes referred to as a cannula
- Made in a variety of diameters and shapes
- Typically threaded to accept either a hub, quick-connect, or Luer-Lok fitting
Drain tube
- Inserted into a vein to aid in drainage
- Straight one easier to use on autopsied body
Stopcock
- Used to attach the delivery hose from the injection device to the arterial tube
- Maintains and stops the flow of a fluid into the arterial tube
Y Tube
- Developed for the embalming of autopsied bodies
- Allows the embalmer to inject both legs or arms or sides of the head at the same time
Trocar
For aspirating
Hypovalve Trocar
- Designed for hypodermic treatments of tissue
- Delivers arterial solution from the embalming machine into deeper tissues
Trocar buttons
Trocar button applicator
Calvarium clamp
Used to re-attach the removed calvarium to the skull when restoring a cranial autopsy
Nasal aspirator
Removes purge material directly from the nasal cavity, mouth, and throat via suction
Postmortem or Autopsy aspirator
Used to remove blood and excess embalming chemicals from the abdominal and thoracic cavities while embalming an autopsied case
Cavity injector
Connects to a bottle of cavity fluid and a trocar to inject the cavity fluid into the viscera during cavity treatment
Incision spreader
Holds open incisions to allow for more room for blunt dissection
