Instruments used in
general surgery
There are many different surgical
specialties, some of which require very
specific kinds of surgical instruments to
perform.
General surgery is a specialty focused on
the abdominal contents, as well as the
thyroid gland, and diseases involving skin,
breasts, various soft tissues, trauma,
peripheral vascular disease, hernias, and
endoscopic procedures.
This page is dedicated specifically to
listing surgical instruments used in general
surgery.
Instruments can be classified in many
ways - but broadly speaking, there are five
kinds of instruments.
1. Cutting and dissecting instruments:
Scalpels, scissors, and saws are
the most traditional.
Elevators can be both cutting
and lifting/retracting.
Although the term dissection is
broad, energy devices such as
diathermy/cautery are often
used as more modern
alternatives.
2. Grasping or holding instruments:
Classically this included forceps
and clamps predominantly.
Roughly, forceps can be divided
into traumatic (tissue crushing)
and atraumatic (tissue
preserving, such as Debakey's)
Numerous examples are
available for different purposes
by field.
3. Hemostatic instruments:
This includes instruments utilized
for the cessation of bleeding.
Artery forceps are a classic
example in which bleeding is
halted by direct clamping of a
vessel.
Sutures are often used, aided by
a needle holder.
Cautery and related instruments
are used with increasing
frequency in high resource
countries.
4. Retractors:
Surgery is often considered to be
largely about exposure.
A multitude of retractors exist to
aid in exposing the body's
cavities accessed during surgery.
These can broadly be handheld
(often by a junior assistant) or
self-retaining.
Elevators can be both cutting
and lifting/retracting.
5. Tissue unifying instruments and
materials:
This would include instruments
that aid in tissue unification
(such as needle holders or staple
applicators)
And the materials themselves
Instruments used in surgery
are:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
Bovie Pencil
Elect rical surgical caut erizat ion ut ilizes
Elect rical elect ricit y in eit her a mono-polar or bi- Monopolar Hook
caut ery polar format t o burn soft t issue and Monopolar Spat ula
[12]
cont rol bleeding.
Bipolar Forceps
for scraping or debriding biological
Come in various sizes
Curet t e t issue or debris in a biopsy, excision, or
and shapes
cleaning procedure
To t ake off a t op layer of skin t o
Dermat ome
implant over anot her area;
Forceps, Grasping/holding. Usually used in skin
Adson
Dissect ing closure or small wounds
Forceps, Tissue Grasping/holding t issue Allis
Penet rat ing Used t o secure t owels or reduce bone Backhaus penet at ing
t owel clamp fragment s t owel clamp
Carmalt forceps haemost at ic forceps kalabasa
Non-t oot hed dissect ing
Cushing forceps grasping/holding
forceps
Dandy forceps haemost at ic forceps
DeBakey grasping/holding Non-t oot hed dissect ing
forceps forceps designed for
use on blood vessels,
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
organs, or delicat e
t issue
Non-crushing clamp
Doyen int est inal
clamps and dist ract ors designed for use on t he
clamp
int est ines
Kelly forceps hemost at ic forceps
Kocher forceps hemost at ic forceps
Mosquit o
hemost at ic forceps
forceps
Hook ret ract or
Nerve hook ret ract or
Skin hook ret ract or
Lancet (scalpel) cut t ing
Mammot ome
Cast roviejo Crilewood
Needle holder grasping/holding Mayo-Hegar Olsen-
Hegar
Ret ract or ret ract or Handheld:
Deaver
Weit lander
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
Army-Navy
Richardson
Richardson-East mann
Ribbon
Self-ret aining:
O'Connor-O'Sullivan
Thompson
Omni-Tract
Ult rasonic
cut t ing
scalpel
Laser scalpel cut t ing
May be curved or
st raight
Iris
Scissors Cut t ing, spreading
Met zenbaum's
Mayo
Tenot omy
Graves'
Speculum Used t o ret ract orifices.
Sim's
Suct ion t ube and
Yankeur suct ion accessories and implant s
t ip
Surgical elevat or
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
Surgical hook ret ract or
Surgical blade Used t o cut vessels or make small
#15 incisions
Surgical mesh accessories and implant s
Surgical needle accessories and implant s
Surgical sponge
Used t o make a gast roint est inal
GIA st apler Linear st apler
anast amosis
Surgical t ray
Sut ure
Tongue
depressor
Tonsillot ome
Towel clamp clamp
Towel forceps clamp
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
Backhaus t owel
forceps
Lorna t owel
Non-penat rat ing t owel clamp
clamp
Tracheot ome
Tissue expander accessories and implant
Subcut aneous
inflat able balloon accessories and implant s
expander
Trephine cut t ing inst rument
Access inst rument . Used t o creat e an
opening int o a space wit hout opening
t he abdominal cavit y. A camera t hen
Trocar insert ed t hrough one t o view t he inside
Disposable of t he space while inst rument s are
trocar family insert ed t hrough t he ot hers t o
manipulat e t he organs.
Surgical device using elect rical energy
t hat 's convert ed t o mechanical
Ult rasonic
ult rasound energy t ypically used t o
energy device
dissect t issue but also seals small
vessels and t issue bundles.
Instrument Specific
Image Brief description
Name instruments
Vessel sealing device used t o weld
vessels t oget her prior t o cut t ing.
Vessel Sealing Advanced Bipolar
These devices used bipolar radio
Device Vessel
Energy
frequency energy t o creat e heat t hat
sealing
device
welds t he t issue.
References
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Retrieved from
"[Link]
title=Instruments_used_in_general_surgery&oldid=
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