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Types of Scalpel Blades

Scalpels are small knives with very sharp blades made of high-grade stainless steel. Their use in surgery dates back to sharpened obsidian instruments used in Egyptian times. As of 2010, surgeons in the U.S. use 130 million blades a year to make precise incisions that can save lives. These instruments are not all exactly the same; different sizes and types of scalpel blades are required for each operation.

  1. Disposable Blades

    • Disposable scalpel blades are made of stainless steel or plastic and used only once before they are safely discarded in a special receptacle made for spent sharp instruments. Disposable blades quickly snap on and off metal or plastic handles, which are reuseable. A European consortium of scientists from the U.K., Denmark and Italy are working on scalpel blades for surgery which are rendered noninfectious and safe to throw away in normal trash receptacles by touching the blades to a heat source, thus eliminating the need for costly biohazardous disposal services. Disposable blades are inexpensive and require no sharpening or autoclaving for sterilization, eliminating the hazardous process of working with an extremely sharp blade.

    Retractable Blades

    • New safety scalpels with retractable blades offer surgeons less chance of injuries from sharp blades, which can cause serious illness if tainted with infected blood. Risks facing healthcare professionals include life-threatening diseases such as HIV, as well as hepatitis B and C. Retractable blades are replaceable in the same manner as disposable blades. The most common types of retractable scalpel blade systems work much in the same way a craft knife does; a button releases the scalpel blade and locks it into position for making incisions, and another click of the button safely tucks it away afterwards. For blades with disposable handles, blades are retracted and locked inside for safer disposal.
       

    Obsidian Blades

    • Obsidian scalpel blades are not disposable and are approximately 10 times the cost of steel blades, but they offer a number of advantages for surgeons prepared to sharpen these delicate razor sharp cutting tools. Surgeons who use obsidian blades make cuts with edges 500 times sharper than any steel scalpel blade, cut between cells during operations, rather than cut into cells, and leave wounds or scars. Any wounds made from the cut heal more quickly than those made by any other type of scalpel blade. Some patients prefer obsidian scalpel blades for an operation because of allergies to the mineral compounds present in stainless steel blades. Under very high magnification, obsidian scalpel blades appear smooth, while stainless steel blades resemble saw blades, possessing teeth-like ridges.

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