Medical Equipment

Surgical Instruments

Instruments are classified by their function

• Cutting & Dissecting
• Grasping & Holding
• Clamping & Occluding
• Exposing & Retracting
• Suturing & Stapling
• Viewing
• Suctioning
• Dilating & Probing
• Measuring
• Micro instruments
• Powered instruments

Cutting & Dissecting

• Cutting instruments have sharp edges. They are used to dissect, incise, separate, or excise tissue.
• Most instrument sets will include #3 and #7 knife handles & suture, curved mayo, metz and tenotomy scissors.

Knife Handles

• Come in various widths & length
• Blades are attached by slipping the slit in the blade into the groove on the handle Knife Blades
• Blades with numeric prefix of “1” (e.g., 10, 11, 12, 15) fit #3 or #7 handles
• Blades with the numeric prefix “2” (e.g., 20, 21, 22, 23,24) fit #4 handles
• #10 are used for large skin incisions
• #15 are used for short shallow incisions
• #11 are used for initial skin puncture of tiny deep incisions

Other Knife handles

• Long handles are used inside deep incisions (e.g., open abdominal cases)
• Beaver knifes are used for small delicate cases

Scissors

• Blades of scissors may be straight, angled, or curved
• Tips may be pointed or blunt, handles may be long or short
• Should be used only for their intended purpose

Straight Mayo (Suture) Scissors

Bandage/Dressing Scissors

Tissue/Dissecting Scissors

• Curved Mayo Scissors
• Metzenbaum Scissors
• Tenotomy scissors
• Iris Scissors

Other Cutting Instruments

• Ronguer
• Osteotome
• Curette
• Freer Elevator
• Rasp

Grasping & Holding

• These instruments are used to grasp tissue and hold it in place without injuring surrounding tissues
• Forceps can be ringed or the thumbed variety
• Most instrument sets will include kocher, allis, babcock, adson, tissue, debakey forceps, sponge sticks & towel clips.
• Forceps
• Kocher
• Allis
• Babcock
• Sponge Stick
• Towel Clip
• Adsons
• Tissue
• Ferris Smith
• DeBakey
• Russians

Clamping & Occluding

• These instruments are used to apply pressure
• Some clamps are designed to crush the structure when applied
• Others are noncrushing and are used to occlude or secure tissue
• Most instrument sets will include mosquito, crile, kelly, tonsil, peon, and right angle clamps

Anatomy of a Clamp

• Mosquito • Crile • Kelly • Tonsil • Peon • Right Angle

Non-crushing Clamps

• Bowel Clamp
• Vascular Clamp
• Bulldogs

Exposing and Retracting

• Used to pull Soft tissue and muscle aside to expose surgical site : 2 types: ( Hand held - Self-retaining )
• Most instrument sets will include small hand held, army-navy, malleable, weitlaner, and richardson retractors

Hand Held Retractors

• Skin Hooks
• Senn
• Cushing Vein Retractor
• Volkman
• Army-Navy - Malleable (Ribbon)
• Richardson
• Kelly- Harrington
• Deaver

Self-Retaining Retractors

• Weitlaner
• Cerebellar
• Gelpi
• Balfour
• Bookwalter

Suturing and Stapling

• Needle holder sizes vary according to type of needle used
• Most instrument sets will have webster, crilewood, and mayo hegar type needle holders.
• Clip appliers place individual staples, available in reusable and disposable
• Disposable staplers

Needle Holders

• Webster
• Crilewood
• Mayo Hegar
• Castroviejo
• Skin Stapler
• Weck Hemoclip Applier
• Ligaclip Applier
• Staplers

Viewing

• Surgeons can examine body cavities, hallow organs, or structures with viewing instruments
• Procedures may be performed - through them
• Nasal Speculum
• Vaginal Speculums
• Rectal Speculums
• Rigid Endoscope
• Laparoscopic Trocars
• Laparoscopic Instruments
• Thorascopic Trocars
• Arthroscopy Cannulas
• Cystoscopy Sheath
• Camera & Light Cord
• Flexible Bronchoscope
• Flexible Ureteroscope
• Proctoscope

Suctions

• Yankauer
• Frazier
• Poole

Probes & Dilators

• Uterine Dilators
• Uterine Sound
• Urethral Sounds
• Lacrimal Duct Probe
• Vascular Tunnelers
• Measuring
• Rulers
• Depth Gauge
• Total Hip Trials

Microinstruments

• Castroviejo Needle Holder
• Micro Scissors
• Bishop Harman Forceps

Powered Instruments

• 3Types ( Battery powered - Air powered - Electric powered )
• Stryker System 5
• Midas Rex
• TPS System
• Arthroscopic Shaver

Care & Handling of Instruments
Handling instruments

• Instruments are placed firmly into the surgeon’s palm in such a manner that it is ready of immediate use.
• Ringed instruments are handed with the box locks closed.
• Curved instruments are passed with the curve in the direction of intended use.
• To facilitate suturing the needle is secured about 1/8 inch down from the tip of the needle holder and about a third of the distance from the eye or swaged end