Sterile instruments are prerequisite for surgical procedures.
Surgical instruments are specially designed tools that assist health care professionals to carry specific actions during a surgical operation.
Steam or autoclave sterilization is the most common method of instrument sterilization.
Sterile instruments make sure that the procedure performed is 100% germ-free and safe.
Scalpels, forceps, scissors, retractors, and clamps are used extensively. The nature of certain surgical procedures requires a more specialized set of instruments.
Surgical instruments are high-quality products with a more or less complex function which cannot be thrown away after a single-use.
Reprocessing is required after their use in a surgery, which includes a thorough cleaning, check of function, and sterilization.
Commonly Used Instruments
Commonly used surgical instruments are:
- Scalpel
A scalpel is a fine-edge cutting instrument with a blade that allows the surgeon to exert maximum control while cutting tissues and is used to make incisions in the skin or other tissues. - Scissors
Surgical scissors are surgical instruments usually used for cutting. - Forceps
Surgeons use forceps during surgical procedures to hold onto or manipulate tissues and to clamp blood vessels. Surgical forceps are hinged instruments, similar in design to scissors, but with tong-like or flat tips that are used to hold, clamp or move tissues during surgery. - Towel Clamps
A perforating clamp used for grasping tissue, securing towels or drapes and holding or reducing small bone fractures. - Needle Holder
A needle holder, also called a needle driver, is a surgical instrument, similar to a hemostat, used by doctors and surgeons to hold a suturing needle for closing wounds during suturing and surgical procedures. - Surgical Needles
Needles are made of steel. They come in different sizes and might be blunt or sharp points, can be curved or straight. Surgical needles are necessary for the placement of sutures in tissues. - Staplers
Surgical staples are specialized staples used in surgery in place of sutures to close skin wounds, connect or remove parts of the bowels or lungs. - Vascular Occluder
These small, clamp-like devices are used to slow or stop the blood flow through a blood vessel for longer periods. - Retractor
A hooked instrument used to hold open an incision. It is also used to hold an organ to one side so the surgeon can work on the tissue behind or below it. - Injection Needle
It is a syringe with an attachable needle tip. The tip can be colour-coded, and the needle can vary in size for different uses. - Ligature Needle
It is a curved needle with an eyelet at the end. It is used for passing a ligature (thread) around an artery to tie it off. - Russian Forceps
They are widely used for holding bowels. - Babcock Forceps
It is used for holding delicate organs. - Endoscope
A fiber-optic device used to see inside smaller body cavities or through small incisions.
- Penetrating Towel Clamp
It is used to secure towels or reduce bone fragments.
- Skin Glue
It is used for the closure of skin. - Electrosurgery
It cuts or cauterizes tissue via an alternating electrical current. - Endostapler
Used in laparoscopic procedures, provides simultaneous cutting and stapling. - Suture
Most commonly used in surgical setups for closing the wounds. - Clips
Most commonly used for vessel