There are many different surgical specialties, some of which require specific kinds of surgical instruments to perform.
General surgery is a specialty focused on the abdomen; the thyroid gland; diseases involving skin, breasts, and various soft tissues; trauma; peripheral vascular disease; hernias; and endoscopic procedures.
Instruments can be classified in many ways, but, broadly speaking, there are five kinds of instruments.
Instruments used in surgery are: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [ excessive citations ]
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Instrument Name | Image | Brief description | Specific instruments |
---|---|---|---|
Electrical cautery | ![]() | Electrical surgical cauterization utilizes electricity in either a monopolar or bipolar format to burn soft tissue and control bleeding [12] |
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Curette | ![]() | For scraping or debriding biological tissue or debris in a biopsy, excision, or cleaning procedure | |
Dermatome | ![]() | Removes epidermis to graft over another area | |
Dissecting forceps | ![]() | Grasping and holding; usually used in skin closures or small wounds | Adson |
Tissue forceps | | Grasping and holding tissue | Allis |
Penetrating towel clamp | ![]() | Used to secure towels or reduce bone fragments | Backhaus penetating towel clamp |
Carmalt forceps | Hemostatic forceps | Kalabasa | |
Cushing forceps | Grasping and holding | Non-toothed dissecting forceps | |
Dandy forceps | Hemostatic forceps | ||
DeBakey forceps | ![]() | Grasping and holding | Non-toothed dissecting forceps designed for use on blood vessels, organs, or delicate tissue |
Doyen intestinal clamp | Clamps and distractors | Non-crushing clamp designed for use on the intestines | |
Kelly forceps | ![]() | Hemostatic forceps | |
Kocher forceps | ![]() | Hemostatic forceps | |
Mosquito forceps | ![]() | Hemostatic forceps | |
Hook | Retractor | ||
Nerve hook | Retractor | ||
Skin hook | Retractor | ||
Lancet (scalpel) | ![]() | Cutting | |
Mammotome | ![]() | ||
Needle holder | | Grasping and holding |
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Retractor | ![]() | Retractor | Handheld:
Self-retaining:
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Ultrasonic scalpel | Cutting | ||
Laser scalpel | ![]() | Cutting | |
Scissors | ![]() | Cutting and spreading | May be curved or straight |
Speculum | ![]() | Used to retract orifices |
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Suction tube and Yankeur suction tip | ![]() | Accessories and implants | |
Surgical elevator | ![]() | ||
Surgical hook | ![]() | Retractor | |
Surgical blade #15 | ![]() | Used to cut vessels or make small incisions | |
Surgical mesh | | Accessories and implants | |
Surgical needle | ![]() | Accessories and implants | |
Surgical sponge | |||
GIA stapler | | Used to make a gastrointestinal anastamosis | Linear stapler |
Surgical tray | |||
Suture | | ||
Tongue depressor | ![]() | ||
Tonsillotome | |||
Towel clamp | ![]() | Clamp | |
Towel forceps | Clamp | ||
Backhaus towel forceps | ![]() | ||
Lorna towel clamp | Non-penatrating towel clamp | ||
Tracheotome | |||
Tissue expander | Accessories and implant | ||
Subcutaneous inflatable balloon expander | Accessories and implants | ||
Trephine | ![]() | Cutting instrument | |
Trocar | ![]() | Access instrument. Used to create an opening into a space without opening the abdominal cavity. A camera is inserted through one to view the interior while instruments are inserted through the others to manipulate the organs. | |
Ultrasonic energy device | Surgical device typically used to dissect tissue, but also seals small vessels and tissue bundles |