Surgical Instruments Flashcards
Scissors
Classified according to:
Points
* Blunt-blunt
* Sharp-sharp
* Sharp-blunt
Blade shape
* Straight
* Curved
Cutting edge
* Plain
* Serrated
Scissors used to
- Cut inanimate objects like drapes and suture
- Cut tissue during surgery
Metzenbaum scissors
- Delicate scissors
- Used for fine, thin tissue
- Curved or straight
Mayo Scissors
- Heavier scissors
- Used to cut heavy tissue, such as fascia
- Curved or straight
Suture removal scissors
- Concavity on one blade
Bandage scissors
One tip is blunted to prevent the cutting of underlying tissue when it’s introduced
under the bandage edge
Types of forceps
*Tissue forceps
*Hemostatic forceps
Hemostats - Purpose?
*Technical name – hemostatic forceps
*Crushing instruments
*Used to clamp blood vessels and crush tissue that will be surgically
removed
Hemostats classified according to
Shape
* Straight
* Curved
Serrations on the jaws
* Transverse (horizontal)
* Longitudinal
* Diagonal
* Combination
Halstead Mosquito Hemostats (purpose & serration)
- Small jaws with fine transverse serrations
- Used to clamp small vessels
Kelly forceps
- Transverse serrations
- Serrations only extend over the distal portion of the jaws
Rochester-Carmalt forceps
- Large forceps
- Longitudinal grooves with cross grooves at the tip ends to prevent tissue slippage
Tissue Forceps
Used to clamp and gently hold tissue
Thumb forceps - What kind of tips?
*Non-locking tissue forceps
*Tweezer-like (do not call them tweezers!)
Classified by tips
* Rounded
* Pointed
* Flattened
* Teeth
Adson-Brown tissue forceps
*General surgery forceps
*Two parallel rows of shallow teeth
Adson 1x2 tissue forceps
- Used to grasp tissue firmly
- Can cause trauma to tissue
- One tooth on one tip and two teeth on the other
Allis tissue forceps
*Used to grasp and retract tissue
*Can be traumatic to tissue
Needle Holders
*Used to grasp and manipulate curved needles
*Also used to place scalpel blade onto the scalpel handle (don’t use fingers
– ouch!)
Olsen-Hegar Needle Holders
- Scissors built into the jaws
Mayo-Hegar Needle Holders
No scissors
Needle Holder vs Hemostat
*Needle holders look similar to hemostats, but the jaws are shorter and
thicker
*Needle holders have cross-hatch serrations (to ensure firm grip on needle),
while hemostats have transverse serrations (most common)
Towel Clamps
*Keeps sterile drapes and surgical towels in place
*Penetrating and non-penetrating tips
Backhaus towel clamps
*Most common type
*Different sizes
*Penetrating tips
Miscellaneous Instruments
Snook Spay hook
- Used to locate the uterine horns during an ovariohysterectomy (spay)
Retractors
*Used to retract tissue gently
*Can take the place of an assistant
Skin staplers
- Used to quickly close an incision
Suture
A strand of material used to approximate tissues or ligate a blood vessel
Classified by
* Size
* Absorbable or non-absorbable
* Natural or synthetic
* Monofilament or multifilament
Size of Suture
*Suture size ranges from 11-0 to #7 (smallest to largest)
*When there’s an ‘0’ after the number, it’s pronounced ‘ought’
*The higher the ‘ought’, the smaller the diameter
*The higher the number (no ‘ought’), the larger the diameter
Small Large
5-0 4-0 3-0 2-0 0 1 2 3
Large animal suture
*#1 - #7
Absorbable vs Non-Absorbable Suture
- Loses it’s tensile strength within 60 days after placement
- Eventually absorbed by the body
Non-absorbable - Not reabsorbed by the body
- Usually used for skin sutures that are then removed in 14 days
Read the package! It will say if the suture is absorbable or non-absorbable
Chromic gut
- Absorbable suture
- Made from sheep or cow intestine
- Chrome added during manufacturing
- Rapidly reabsorbed
- Usually used in dental procedures
Suture selection is critical!
Sutures can be
- Soft or hard
- Have good or poor tensile strength
- Have good or poor knot retention
- Be absorbed quickly or not at all
- Be reactive or non-reactive
Suture Needles
Classified by
*Shape
*Needle point
Needle point
*Most common
* Cutting and reverse cutting – three cutting edges
- Taper – sharp tip that pierces and spreads tissues without cutting them (intestine,
bladder, hollow organs)
Most suture has a swaged needle
*Swaged needles – the needle and suture are joined in a continuous unit
Tissue Adhesives
*A surgical adhesive that rapidly
polymerizes in the presence of
moisture and produces a strong
flexible bond
*Will only hold skin edges that are
fairly close together
*Not extremely strong – will come
apart with excessive tension on
wound
How long before an absorbable suture loses its tensile strength?
Within 60 days of replacement
How long after non-absorbable sutures are placed until they are removed?
14 days
