Basic OR
Instruments
1. Clamping and Occluding Instruments
2. Forceps (Grasping and Holding)
3. Bone and Orthopedic Instruments
4. Needle Holder
5. Retractors (Exposing)
6. Scissors (Cutting and Dissecting
7. Scalpel Holders (Handles)
8. D&C set (Dilation and Curettage
1. Clamping and Occluding Instruments
These are used to compress blood vessels or hollow structures to achieve hemostasis
(stopping blood flow).
1. Pean (Crile)
A heavy-duty hemostat with full-length serrations. It is used to occlude
large blood vessels or heavy tissue bundles to prevent hemorrhage
before ligation (tying off).
2. Kelly
A heavy-duty hemostat with full-length serrations. It is used to occlude large
blood vessels or heavy tissue bundles to prevent hemorrhage before ligation
(tying off).
3. Mosquito (Halsted)
A small, fine-tipped clamp used to occlude tiny, superficial "bleeder"
vessels in delicate areas like the face, hands, or in pediatric procedures.
2. Forceps (Grasping and Holding)
Designed to pick up, stabilize, or manipulate tissue and materials without causing excessive
trauma.
1. Sponge (Foerster) 4. Long Thumb
Features oval, windowed tips A standard "pick-up" without
used to securely hold gauze teeth used to reach deep into
sponges for "prepping" the skin surgical wounds to grasp delicate
with antiseptic or for "blunt tissue or move dressings without
dissection" in deep cavities. obstructing the view.
2. Delivery (Obstetric) 5. Allis
Large curved blades designed to Features multiple tiny teeth used
cradle the fetal head to provide to firmly grasp heavy or slippery
safe traction and assist in the birth tissue (such as a tumor or cyst)
process during a difficult labor. that is intended for surgical
removal.
3. Tissue (Rat-Tooth) 6. Bobcock
Equipped with interlocking teeth A non-perforating, flared-tip
at the tip to provide a non-slip grip forceps used to encircle and hold
on tough, slippery tissues like skin, delicate tubular organs (like the
fascia, or muscle during suturing. appendix, bowels, or fallopian
tubes) without crushing them.
2. Forceps (Grasping and Holding)
Designed to pick up, stabilize, or manipulate tissue and materials without causing excessive
trauma.
7. Pennington 9. Towel Clips (Backhaus)
Triangular-tipped forceps used Sharp, pointing tips used to
to grasp and stabilize the edges of pierce and lock surgical drapes to
tissue during intestinal, rectal, or the patient’s skin, ensuring the
lung surgeries. sterile field remains secure.
8. Magill
Angled forceps used by the
anesthesia team to guide
endotracheal tubes into the larynx
or to remove foreign obstructions
from the airway.
3. Bone and Orthopedic Instruments
Specialized tools designed for the manipulation, shaping, and repair of bone tissue.
1. Bone File 4. Rongeur
Used to grind and smooth down A spring-loaded, biting instrument
jagged bone edges after a fracture used to snip off small pieces of
or amputation to prevent the bone bone or tough connective tissue to
from irritating or cutting nearby reshape a joint or clear a path.
soft tissue.
2. Bone Hook 5. Screw Driver
A sharp, hook-like instrument Used to insert and tighten
used to retract and pull large bone orthopedic screws into metal
fragments into alignment during plates, providing internal fixation
orthopedic repairs. for fractured bones.
3. Periosteal Elevator 6. Bone Curette
A flat, blunt-edged tool used to A spoon-shaped tool used to
scrape the periosteum (outer scrape out diseased bone,
membrane) away from the bone, infection, or debris from a cavity
providing a clean area for the and to harvest bone marrow for
surgeon to apply plates or screws. grafting.
3. Bone and Orthopedic Instruments
Specialized tools designed for the manipulation, shaping, and repair of bone tissue.
7. Ortho/Bone Mallet
A surgical hammer used to
provide the driving force needed to
push chisels, osteotomes, or pins
into dense, hard bone.
4. Needle Holder
1. Needle Holder (Mayo-Hegar)
Features short, stout jaws with a
cross-hatch pattern designed to
securely grasp and drive surgical
needles through tissue, preventing
the needle from twisting during
suturing.
5. Retractors (Exposing)
Used to hold back skin, muscle, or organs to give the surgeon a clear view of the operative site.
1. Balfour 4. Army-Navy
A large, self-retaining frame with A double-ended, flat metal
side blades used to hold the entire retractor used to retract skin and
abdominal wall open shallow tissue in minor surgeries
automatically, freeing up the like hernia or thyroid repairs.
hands of the surgical team.
2. Richardson 5. Deaver
A sturdy, hand-held L-shaped A thin, curved blade used to hold
retractor used to pull back deep back deep internal organs like the
layers of muscle and tissue in the liver or stomach during abdominal
abdomen or chest. procedures.
3. Bladder Retractor 6. Malleable (Ribbon)
A soft metal strip that the
A wide-bladed tool used to push surgeon can bend and custom-
and protect the bladder during shape to fit the patient's anatomy,
pelvic surgeries, such as a used to retract organs without
Cesarean section. damaging them.
5. Retractors (Exposing)
Used to hold back skin, muscle, or organs to give the surgeon a clear view of the operative site.
7. Vaginal Speculum
Used to retract the vaginal walls,
allowing the surgeon to see and
work on the cervix and inner
uterine canal.
6. Scissors (Cutting & Dissecting)
1. Mayo 4. Iris
Heavy-duty scissors used for Very small, sharp-pointed
cutting tough tissues (fascia, scissors used for precision cutting
tendons) or for cutting thick and fine detail work in eye or
surgical sutures. plastic surgery.
2. Suture Scissors 5. Bandage (Lister)
Designed with a blunt tip to Features a flattened, blunt
safely cut surgical thread close to "button" on the lower blade to
the knot without accidentally safely slide under tight bandages
snipping the patient's skin. to remove them without cutting
the patient.
3. Metzenbaum
Delicate, long-handled scissors
used for blunt dissection, allowing
the surgeon to separate fine layers
of tissue without cutting them.
7. Scalpel Holders (Handles)
1. #3 Holder
A smaller handle that fits blades
#10, #11, and #15; used for
making precise, small incisions in
superficial or delicate areas.
2. #4 Holder
A larger, heavier handle that fits
blades #20 and #22; used for
making long, deep incisions
through thick skin and muscle.
8. D&C Set (Dilation and Curettage)
Specific instruments used for gynecological procedures involving the cervix and uterus.
1. Curette 4. Ovum Forceps
A loop-shaped tool used to Large-ringed forceps used to
scrape the endometrial lining of grasp and remove large pieces of
the uterus to remove tissue for tissue, such as polyps or products
biopsy or to clear the uterus after of conception, from the uterine
a miscarriage. cavity.
2. Tenaculum
A sharp, double-pointed clamp
used to grasp and stabilize the
cervix, pulling it into alignment so
other instruments can enter the
uterus safely.
3. Uterine Sound
A flexible, graduated rod used to
measure the depth and direction
of the uterine cavity to avoid
puncturing the uterine wall.
References:
Association of Surgical Technologists. (n.d.). Surgical instruments: Study guide.
[Link]
BD V. Mueller. (2026). Surgical instruments catalog: General, orthopedic, and OB/GYN.
[Link]
Mayo Clinic. (2024, May 15). Dilation and curettage (D&C): Procedures and tools.
[Link]
Nabili, S. T. (2025, November 10). Surgical highlights: Common operating room instruments.
MedicineNet. [Link]
Surgical Counts. (2026). Surgical instrument flashcards and identification.
[Link]
Wells, A. S., & StatPearls Publishing. (2023, July 24). Surgical instrumentation. National Center
for Biotechnology Information. [Link]