Surgical Instruments

Transcribed by: Gleen Medroso

Category: Clamping and Occluding
Instruments
Are frequently referred to as hemostats and are used most
often for hemostasis. They may have a straight, curved, or
angled tip. The clamping jaws of the instrument are serrated.
This allow the clamp to compress a vessel with enough force
to stop bleeding. The serrations also prevent the clamp from
slipping off the tissue.

Name: Hemostat Forceps

Other name: Kelly forceps (straight, curve), Clamp
mosquito crile kelly tonsil peon
Uses: Use for occluding bleeders before cauterization or
ligation. Use to clamp vessels to stop bleeding

Name: Hemostat Forceps

Other name: Mosquito Forceps (straight, curve) Name: Tonsil Forceps
Uses: Used for occluding bleeders in small or superficial Other name:
wounds before cauterization or ligation Uses:

Name: Crile Forceps

Other name: Hemostat, snap, clamp, Kelly forceps, stat Name: Peon Forceps
Uses: Used for occluding bleeders before catheterization or Other name:
ligation Uses:
Used for blunt dissection when separating planes and tissues
 Name: Rochester-Pean Forceps
Name: Mixter Forceps (Angle)
Other name: Péan, Mayo, Kelly-Péan forceps
Other name: Right angle forceps, Gemini forceps, Lahey Uses: Used for occluding larger blood vessels and tissue
forceps, obtuse clamp, ureter clamp. before ligation, usually in a deeper wound or on
Uses: Is used to clamp, dissect, and occlude tissue. Is often heavier tissue
used to place a tie or vessel loop under and around
a tubular structure such as a vessel or a duct,
enabling the surgeon to grasp the ligature or loop and
pull it up and around the structure to either ligate or
retract.

Name: Bowel Clamp

Other name: Intestinal Clamp
Uses: Used to clamp a bowel

Name: Carmalt Forceps

Other name: Carmalt, big curved forceps
Uses: Used for occluding larger blood vessels and tissue
before ligation, usually in a deeper wound or on
heavier tissue. Often the forceps that the Kittner
is loaded onto.

Name: Vascular Clamp

Other name: Angles clamp, 35 or 45 degree clamp
Uses: Used to occlude blood flow – Occlusion Clamp

Name: Adson Forceps

Other name: Tonsil Schnidt forceps, fancy clamp, tonsil
forceps, T & A
Uses: Clamps small vessels in a deep wound or holds tonsil
sponges. Also, may be used to create a “tie on a
passer
Name: Bulldog Clamp
Other name:
Uses: Used to impede the flow in the vessel
Category: Grasping Instruments
Also known as holding instruments are used on tissue for
retraction and as aids in dissection and suturing. They allow
the surgeon to hold tissue with one hand and suture or dissect
with the other. Some holding instruments are used to hold
sponges and sutures.

Name: Lahey’s Right Angled Forceps

Other name: V. mueller forceps
Uses: Used to dissect the cystic duct and artery in
cholecystectomy. Used in Vagotomies to dissect the vagus
Name: Mayo Towel Clip
nerve and pass ligatures around them before division.
Other name: Backhaus towel clip, Roeder towel clip, Jones Used in thyroid surgeries to dissect and ligate middle thyroid
towel clip vein, superior thyroid pedicle, etc.
Uses: Fix drapes in a manner to expose operative field only.
Also used to fix tubing’s and cautery wire to drapes in
a way that they don’t fall

Name: Allis’ Tissue Forceps

Name: Towel Clip Other name: Allis clamp

Uses: Used to hold skin while raising skin flaps
Other name: Lorna Towel Clamp
Used to pick up a fold of peritoneum during laparotomy
Uses: Use to clip a towel/drips – not sharp and don’t pierce Used to hold linea alba while closing midline incisions
a towel
Use for attaching Bovie on the drapes

Name: Babcock’s Tissue Forceps

Name: Nonpenetrating Towel Clip
Other name: Babcock clamp
Other name: Atraumatic Towel Clamp Uses: Used to pick up appendix during appendectomy.
Uses: Used for attaching Bovie and Suction to the drapes Used to hold delicate visceral organs (e.g. intestine)
Used to hold linea alba while closing midline incisions
Name: Sponge Forceps
Hartman forceps Alligator forceps
Other name: Sponge stick forceps (if with OS – sponge)
Fletcher sponge forceps, , ring forceps Name: Hartman forceps, Alligator forceps
Uses: Used to hold surgical gauze sponges
Other name: Ear and Nasal Forceps
May be straight or curved
Uses: Bent for ease in ear and nose procedures

Name: Kocher Forceps

Other name: Koch forceps, Ochsner forceps
Name: Thumb Tissue Forceps (straight, Angled)
Uses: Used for grasping tough, fibrous, slippery tissues such
as muscle and fascia Other name: Sometimes called “pick-ups”
Some with teeth are called tissue forceps
Uses: Use to grasp tissue

Brown-Adson Tissue Forceps Toothed Adson Tissue Forceps

Name: Needle Holder

Other name: Needle drivers Plain Adson Tissue Forceps
Uses: Holds needles firmly without crushing
Name: Adson Tissue Forceps
Other name: Brown-Adson, Plain, Toothed Tissue Forceps
Uses: Used to grasp tissue
 Name: DeBakey Forceps
Name: Toothed Tissue Forceps Other name: DeBakey
Other name: Rat tooth, Tissue forceps with tooth Uses: Grasp numerous types of tissue.
Uses: Used to grasp moderate to heavy tissue, and used Commonly used in cardiac, vascular surgery, and
during wound closure gastrointestinal procedures

Name: Russian Forceps

Name: Plain Tissue Forceps Other name: Russian, Star Russian forceps, Star forceps
Other name: Dressing forceps, Tissue forceps without teeth Uses: Used to grasp dense tissue, and used during wound
closure
Uses: Use for grasping tissue and dressing application

Name: Ferris Smith Forceps

Name: Singley Tissue Forceps
Other name: Big Ugly’s
Other name: Tuttle Thoracic Tissue Forceps
Uses: Used to grasp heavy tissue, muscle and bone.
Often used in orthopedics, spinal and obstetrics surgery Uses: Used for grasping intestinal tissue, delicate tissue or
dressing materials and sponges
Category: Cutting and Dissecting Instruments
Also referred to as sharps, include knives and scissors. Used
to cut, cleave, or plane the walls of a cavity preparation; the
blade ends in a sharp, beveled edge. Unless otherwise
specified, it refers to a hand instrument rather than to a rotary
type.

#7 #4 #3 Name: Knife Blades

Blades with numeric prefix of “1” (10, 11, 12, 15) fit to #3
or #7
handles
Blades with numeric prefix of “2” (21, 22, 23, 24) fit to #4
handle
Uses: Used to cut tissue

Name: Knife Blade Handles

Other name: Scalper (if blade is attached)
Uses: Used as blade handles

#10 #15 #11

Name: Knife Blade
#10 are used for large skin incisions
#15 are used for short shallow incisions
#11 are used for initial skin puncture of tine deep incisions

Beaver

Other Knife Handles

Long handles are used inside deep incision (e.g. open
abdominal cases)
Beaver knifes are used for small delicate cases
Name: Disposable Scalpel
Other name: Surgical Knife
Uses: Used to cut the skin
Name: Straight Mayo Scissor Name: Metzenbaum Scissor (Curve)
Other name: Suture scissor, Surgical scissor Other name: Dissecting Scissor
Edge Type: Blunt-Blunt Tips Uses: To dissect tissue
Uses: Used to cut suture during surgery or suturing Dissect and Undermine delicate tissues

Name: Super-Cut Mayo Scissor (Straight) Small Scissor

Edge Type: Razor-Sharp Cutting Edge Name: Curve Iris Scissor
Uses: To cut and dissect tissue Other name: Curve Iris
To cut suture, clothing, bondages Edge Type: Sharp-Sharp edge
Uses: Small scissors designed for fine detail, ENT
procedures

Name: Operating Mayo Scissor (Straight)

Small Scissor
Edge Type: Sharp-Blunt Tips
Uses: To cut suture, gauze, and other materials Name: Straight Iris Scissor
Other name: Straight Iris
Edge Type: Sharp-Sharp edge
Uses: Small scissors designed for fine detail, ENT
procedures
 Name: Tenotomy Scissor
Name: Curve Mayo Scissor
Other name:
Other name: Curve Mayo , Surgical scissor Uses: Used for delicate dissection and cutting
Uses: To dissect and undermine heavy fibrous tissue
Used to tough structures like linea alba, rectus sheath
during entry in to the abdomen.
Used to cut delicate structures like hollow viscus,
investing layer of deep fascia of the neck in thyroid
surgery.
Used to raise skin flaps by sharp dissection.

Name: Suture Removal Scissor (Straight)

Other name:
Uses: Hook-shaped point on one blade used to hook under the
stitch before cutting

Name: Lister Bondage Scissor (Angled)

Other name: Dressing Scissor, Lister bandage scissor
Uses: Designed for cutting bandages on patients without cutting
the patient

Name: Suture Removal Scissor (Angled)

Other name:
Uses: Hook-shaped point on one blade used to hook under the
stitch before cutting

Name: Knowles Bondage Scissor

Other name: Name: Heath’s Suture Cutting scissors
Uses: Used for cutting bandages Other name:
Uses: Used to cut sutures on skin and mucous membrane.
Name: Giglie’s Saw
Other name:
Uses: Used to cut bones in amputation
Used to do craniotomies Name: Curette
Other name:
Uses: Used for scraping biological tissue or debris

Name: Bone Saw

Other name: Bone Cutter
Uses: Used to cut bone in case amputation. To cut casts.

Name: Rib Cutter

Other name:
Uses: Used to cut ribs in case of draining empyema thoracis.
Use to resect a part of the rib

Name: Bone cutter and Bone Nibbler

Other name: Ronguer
Uses: Used to cut small bones (e.g. carpal bone)

Name: Bone Saw

Other name: Bone cutter
Uses: Used to cut bone in case amputation
Name: Bone Chisel and Osteotome
Other name:
To cut casts
Uses: Used to chip out bone. Used to perform osteotomies.
Name: Periosteum Elevator
Other name:
Uses: Used to elevate the periosteum during amputations.

Name: Sternal Saw

Other name: Stryker sternal saw

Uses: Used to create a median sternotomy; it opens the

chest by sawing through the sternum

Name: Rasp
Other name:
Uses: Used to file or shape a bone or cartilage
Category: Dilating and probing

Name: Vaginal Speculum Name: Metallic Bougie

Other name: Other name:

Uses: Are used to expose body orifices by widening for better Uses: Used to dilate urethra in urethral strictures.
viewing Used to dilate urethra before cystoscopy.
Used to repair ruptured urethra by railroad technique.

Name: Nasal Speculum

Other name:
Name: Vim Silverman’s Liver biopsy Trocar and
Uses: Are used to expose body orifices by widening for better Needle
viewing Other name:
Uses: Used to take liver biopsy.

Name: Bakes’ Dilator

Other name:
Uses: Used in Choledocholithotomy, after removing the stones
from the bile duct, it is used to sound the bile duct for
Name: Anoscope/Proctoscope any retained stones.
Other name: The patency of the ampulla can checked, In impacted
stones or ampullary stenosis, it is not possible to pass
Uses: Are used to expose body orifices by widening for better
the dilator in to the duodenum
viewing
Name: Hegar Dilators
Other name:
Uses: Double-ended metal rods ranging in size
Used for gradually dilating an opening

Name: Pratt Dilators

Other name:
Uses: : Double-ended metal rods ranging in size
Used for gradually dilating an opening
Category: Retracting / Exposing Instruments
Are designed to assist in visualization of the operative field
while preventing trauma to the surrounding tissue. Retractors
are available in various sizes and shapes. Some retractors
require that the surgeon or an assistant hold them while
exerting pressure; other are self-retaining.

Name: Morris retractor (double-sided)

Other name:
Type: Manual
Uses: To retract strong structures like abdominal wall muscles
and it gives wider space to work

Name: Weitlaner retractor

Type: Self retaining
Other name:
Uses: Used to hook and retract the edges of a wound for better
view

Name: Morris retractor (single-sided)

Type: Manual
Other name:
Uses: Used while making and closing abdominal incisions for
Name: Volkman Retractor ease of working in the deeper layers.
Type: Manual Used to retract Pectoralis major in MRM for better
visualization during axillary dissection.
Other name:
Uses: Used to hook and retract the edges of a wound for better
view

Name: Harrington’s retractor

Name: Czerny’s retractor Other name:

Type: Manual Type: Manual
Uses: To retract soft intra-abdominal visceral organs
Other name:
(e.g. cholecystectomy, hysterectomy)
Uses: Superficial retraction of skin incisions during laparotomy
Name: Doyen’s retractor Name: Langenbach’s Retractor
Type: Manual
Other name:
Type: Manual Other name:
Uses: Used in pelvic surgery for retraction at the caudal end of Uses: They are used to help better visualization of the
abdominal incision. operative field, tissue handling is minimized and
bleeding better seen and controlled.

Name: Self retaining abdominal retractor

Name: Deaver’s Retractor
Type: Self retaining
Type: Manual
Other name:
Uses: Used in the prolonged abdominal operations. Other name:
With its application there is no need for an assistant Uses:
continuously retract Used in Cholecystectomy for retraction of right lobe of liver.
Used in Truncal vagotomy for retraction of left lobe of liver.
Used in kidney operations to retract the anterior abdominal
wall.

Name: Single/double hook retractor

Type: Manual Name: Joll’s Thyroid Retractor

Other name: Type: Self-retaining
Uses: To retract skin edges Other name:
To retract tough fascia
Uses: It is a self-retaining retractor used in thyroid surgeries to
retract the skin.
Name: ARMY-NAVY RETRACTOR
Type: Manual Name: FINOCHIETTO RIB SPREADER
Other name: Army’s, Navy’s, U.S. retractor Type: Self-retaining
Uses: Used for retraction of small superficial incisions to allow Other name: Chest or rib spreader
better exposure.
Uses: Used for spreading ribs for exposure of the chest cavity

Name: RIBBON RETRACTOR

Other name: Malleable retractor
Uses: Used for retraction of organs and intestines in a wound

Name: BURFORD RIB SPREADER

Type: Self-retaining
Other name: Chest spreader, Burford-Finochietto rib spreader
Uses: This instrument is used to retract ribs for lung
procedures and to spread the sternum in cardiac
procedures
Category : Suturing Needle

PARTS OF THE SURGICAL NEEDLE

CLASSIFICATION
1. By the Shaft
a. Straight – used generally on the skin
b. ½ circle – mostly internal to skin
c. 3/8 circle – skin, plastic surgery

1/4 circle 3/8 circle

1/2 curve

1/2 circle 5/8 circle straight

2. By the Eye
a. Eye present – will require threading
b. Eyeless – the needle and suture are one unit

3. By the Point
a. Cutting – spear or trocar
b. Reverse cutting -
b. Round – Tapered point
Category: Accessory Instruments

Name: YANKAUER SUCTION TIP

Other name: Tonsil suction tip, oral suction tip
Name: ELECTROSURGICAL PENCIL
Uses: Used for suctioning in all types of wounds. It allows for
Other name: Bovie, cautery, monopolar cautery, diathermy, effective suctioning without aspiration damage to the
electrocautery surrounding tissue.
Uses: Monopolar cautery uses electrical current to coagulate
and cut blood vessels and tissues to provide
homeostasis; it is also used for dissection.

Name: HARMONIC SCALPEL

Other name: Ultrasonic scalpel

Uses: The harmonic scalpel is a grasping instrument that
delivers ultrasonic energy between the jaws to
coagulate and divide tissue by low-temperature
cavitation.

Name: Skin Stapler

Other name:
Uses: Used during wound closure for skin approximation

A sterile, single-patient use instrument; it is preloaded

with stainless steel rectangular staples that are used
for approximation of the skin
Category: Laparoscopic Instruments

Name: Endoscopic Right Angle Forceps

Name: VERSA PORT TROCARS Other name: Mixter Forceps
Other name: Trocar Uses: Used for separating tissue planes and dissecting around
Uses: Used to create an instrument port in which the tubular structures.
endoscope and instruments can be introduced and
exchanged through the cannula

Name: Blunt Dissector

Other name:
Name: Endoscopic Harmonic Scalpel
Uses: Used for blunt dissection and separation of tissue
Other name: Ultrasonic Scalpel planes
Uses: The harmonic scalpel is a coagulating instrument that
delivers ultrasonic energy between the jaws to
coagulate and divide tissue through low-temperature
cavitation.

Name: Endoscopic Scissor

Other name: Endo shears, coag scissors
Name: Endoscopic Catch
Uses: Used to cut and dissect tissues, ducts, vessels, and
Other name: Endo pouch, Endosac suture material
Uses: Used to retrieve and contain specimens during
endoscopic removal while minimizing spillage of
contaminates into the abdominal cavity.
 Name: Apple Needle Holder
Name: Endoscopic DeBakey Forceps Other name:
Other name: Uses: Used to securely grasp the needle during suturing
Uses: Used for grasping of tissues and organs without
causing trauma

Name: Endoscopic Gia Stapler

Other name:
Name: Endoscopic Allis Forceps Uses: Often used during laparoscopic appendectomy and
gastric and bowel resections.
Other name: Also used to transect tissues in endoscopic thoracic or
Uses: Lifts, holds, and retracts slippery dense tissue gynecologic procedures

Name: Endoscopic Babcock Forceps Name: Endoscopic Camera

Other name: Other name:
Uses: Used for grasping and encircling delicate structures Uses: Used for the transmission of images from the rigid or
such as the ureters, fallopian tubes, ovaries, flexible endoscope to the video monitor
appendix, or bowel
 Name: Suction Irrigation
Name: Fiberoptic Light Cord
Other name:
Other name: Light Cord
Uses: Used to irrigate and aspirate fluid and debris from the
Uses: Used for illumination during endoscopic procedures; surgical site
delivers high-intensity light through the endoscope

Name: 10-MM 0-DEGREE ENDOSCOPE

Name: Insufflation Tubing
Other name: Lens, rigid endoscope
Other name:
Uses: Provides visualization of body cavities and contents,
which may include internal organs and structures, Uses: Used for creating and maintaining a
through an orifice or surgical opening pneumoperitoneum; delivers carbon dioxide
Other size and degree available: 10 MM 30-degree from the insufflator to the abdominal cavity
5-MM 0-degree

Name: Veress Needle

Name: Endoeye
Other name: Insufflation Needle
Other name: Scope, Endoscope Uses: Used to enter the peritoneum and deliver carbon
Uses: Used for the visualization of body cavities, internal dioxide into the abdominal cavity to create a
organs, and other structures through an instrument port pneumoperitoneum
in laparoscopic procedures
Handling Instruments 2. Do not saline on instruments
3. Do not allow blood to dry on instruments
1. Instruments are placed firmly into the surgeon’s palm 4. Saline and blood can damage instrument surface
in such a manner that it is ready of immediate use causing corrosion and pitting

2. Ringed instruments are handed with the box locks closed

3. Curved instruments are passed with the curve in the

direction of intended use

5. Flush suction tips with sterile distilled water

periodically to keep lumens patent
6. Flush all lumened instruments thoroughly at the end of
the case to prevent blood from drying inside lumens

7. Powered hand instruments and batteries should not be

Care of Instruments immersed in liquid as this could damage internal
mechanism
1. During the procedure, used instruments should wiped
with a damp sponge or placed in a basin of sterile
distilled water