General Instrument Identification and Categories
Instrument Category Overview
Dissecting and Cutting Instruments
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↻These instruments are used to cut or dissect tissue and can either be blunt or sharp.
Grasping and Holding Instruments
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↻These instruments are made to grasp, hold, and manipulate tissue. Some are made for delicate tissue (eg, skin) while others are made to hold sturdy tissue, such as muscle or bone.
Retracting and Exposing Instruments
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↻These instruments retract tissue allowing for visualization of the surgical site. Retracting and exposing instruments can be handheld or self-retaining.
Clamping and Occluding Instruments
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↻These instruments are designed to compress, constrict, or occlude tissue or tubular structures. They can be categorized as traumatic/crushing or atraumatic/non-crushing and have either a straight or curved configuration.
Closure and
Approximation
Instruments
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↻These instruments are used to repair or approximate tissue. This category consists of needle holders of various lengths and uses as well as staplers and clip appliers that can either be reposable (reused after decontamination and sterilization) or disposable.
General Instruments
#3 Knife Handle
Dissecting and Cutting:
Used with a #10, #11, #12, or #15 blade to create an incision.
#4 Knife Handle
Dissecting and Cutting:
Used with a #20, #22, or #25 blade to make larger and/or deeper incisions in heavy tissue areas.
#7 Knife Handle
Dissecting and Cutting:
Used with a #10, #11, #12, or #15 blade to make precise cuts in a confined space or in a deep wound.
Adson Forceps
Grasping and Holding Instrument :
Used to pick up or hold soft tissue, specifically during closure. Can have teeth or no teeth.
Allis Clamps
Grasping and Holding Instrument:
The teeth allow for tissue to be grasped securely but do not crush.
Army-Navy Retractor
(USA Retractor, US Army)
Retracting and Exposing Instruments:
A hand-held retractor that holds back tissue superficially.
Babcock Forceps
Grasping and Holding Instrument:
Used to grasp delicate tissue without causing injury. They are not occlusive or crushing.
Deaver Retractor
Retracting and Exposing Instruments:
A hand-held retractor that holds back abdominal contents and providing exposure to the surgical site.
DeBakey Forceps
Grasping and Holding Instrument: Used to grasp delicate tissue and vascular structures and for dissecting soft tissue. Commonly used in all types of procedures.
Ferris Smith Forceps (Big Uglys)
Grasping and Holding Instrument: Used to grasp heavy tissue, muscle, and bone. Note: Ferris Smiths are always the same size and shape with the same crisscross pattern.
Kocher Forceps (Ochsner, Kocher, Rochester Ochsner)
Clamping and Occluding Instruments:
Used for grasping, holding, and crushing heavy tissue.
Malleable Retractor (brain retractor, ribbon, spatula)
Retracting and Exposing Instruments:
Used to hold back abdominal contents to provide exposure to the surgical site. This retractor can be shaped to the patient’s anatomy.
Mayo Scissors
Dissecting and Cutting:
Straight Mayo scissors are used to cut suture. Curved Mayo scissors are used to cut thick or heavy tissue.
Mayo-Hegar Needle Holder (needle holder)
Closure and Approximation Instruments:
Used to hold suture.
Metzenbaum Scissors (Metz)
Dissecting and Cutting:
Used for dissecting and cutting delicate tissue. Should never be used to cut suture or drapes.
Pean Clamps
Clamping and Occluding Instruments:
Used to occlude larger blood vessels and tissue before ligation.
Right Angle (Mixter)
Clamping and Occluding Instruments:
Used for clamping, dissecting, or grasping tissue.
Russian Forceps (Star, Russian-Star)
Grasping and Holding Instrument:
Used to grasp dense tissue during wound closure
Schnidt Tonsil
Clamping and Occluding Instruments:
Used for clamping small vessels or holding tonsil sponges.
Senn Retractor
(Senn-Miller)
Retracting and Exposing Instruments:
A hand-held tissue retractor that retracts tissue using either the blunt or sharp end of the instrument.