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Names of Surgical Equipment

Surgical instruments are devices that help a surgeon make incisions or sutures, and hold or dissect tissue. These come in different shapes and sizes according to the specific function that they are meant for. Surgical instruments are most commonly made from stainless steel, but other metals like titanium, chromium, molybdenum and vanadium may also be used. These devices require a high degree of precision in use and sterilization.

  1. Surgical Forceps

    • Forceps are most commonly used to grip or separate walls of organs, blood vessels and tissues. However, some specific types of forceps, such as the needle forceps, are used to hold needles to carry out various suture procedures. Some forceps are also used to deliver babies. Structurally, forceps have a handle at one end and two blades or pincers on the other and use the principle of lever to apply pressure on one end and to grasp objects on the other.

    Surgical Scalpels

    • These surgical instruments are used to make fine incisions during surgery. Structurally scalpels have a handle to hold the equipment and a blade attached to one end of the handle to make incisions. The blades are extremely sharp and may be made from medical-grade fine steel, obsidian or diamond. They are notched to fit in a handle that may be flat or rounded, depending upon the use of the scalpel.

    Retractors

    • This surgical equipment is used to hold tissue apart, keep an incision open or hold back organs which may block the operative field of a surgeon. Retractors can either be hand-held or of the self-retaining type. Although a hand-held retractor gives greater flexibility in holding the incision open or the tissue apart, an operating assistant needs to hold it with his hands while the surgeon operates on the patient. Also, it becomes difficult to manually maintain the desired level of retraction throughout the surgical procedure. Self-retaining retractors can be fixed in a position and locked so that correct level of retention can be maintained all the time. Retractors have handles which may be notched, hook-shaped or ring-shaped with blades attached to one end at a right angle. Depending upon their function, blade-tips can be blunt, pointed or have rakes.

    Surgical Scissors

    • These instruments are required in all types of surgery. They may be used to cut bandages, sutures or even tissue. Surgical scissors may be bent curved, hooked or straight. Depending upon the function, surgical scissors may have curved or bent tips. The blades can also come sharp, blunt, a combination of sharp-blunt, serrated or straight-edged.

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