Surgical Technology: Grasping Instruments

Forceps (Non-Locking/Pick-Ups)

DeBakey Forceps

  • Two Sets of Parallel Serrations on One Jaw & One Line of Serrations in the Middle of the Other Jaw
  • Allow Atraumatic Tissue Handling
  • The Most Commonly Used Throughout General Surgery

Adson Forceps

  • Small & Light with Interlocking Toothed Tip
  • Used for Handling Skin

Adson-Brown Forceps

  • Similar to Adson Forceps
  • Two Rows of Fine Interlocking Teeth at the Tip
  • Used for Superficial, Delicate Tissue

Tissue (Rat Tooth) Forceps

  • Medium Interlocking Toothed Forceps
  • Used for Handling Heavier Tissue

Ferris Smith (Bonnie/Bickle) Forceps

  • Heavy Toothed Forceps
  • Used to Close Facia

Russian Tissue Forceps

  • Rounded Flat Tips with Teeth
  • Used in Manipulating Heavy Tissues

Gerald Forceps

  • Fine Tipped without Teeth
  • Commonly Used in Vascular Surgery

DeBakey

Adson

Adson-Brown

Rat-Tooth

Ferris Smith

Russian

Gerald

Clamps/Graspers (Locking Forceps)

Mosquito (Halsted/Hartman)

  • Smallest (3-5 Inches)
  • Serrated Clamp
  • Can Be Straight or Curved

Kelly Clamp/Forceps

  • Larger than Mosquito (5-7 Inches)
  • Serrated Clamp – Serration Do Not Extend the Entire Length of the Jaw
  • Can Be Straight or Curved

Hemostat (Crile, Snap)

  • Larger than Mosquito (5-7 Inches)
  • Serrated Clamp – Serration Extend the Entire Length of the Jaw
  • Can Be Straight or Curved

Rochester-Pean (Pean)

  • Largest (7-10 Inches)
  • Curved Serrated Clamp

Tonsil (Schnidt)

  • Large Serrated Clamp
  • Slight Curve at Tip
  • Jaws Are Shorter Than Rochester-Pean
  • Used to Pass Ties in Deep Spaces & To Create a Passage for a Drain

Mosquito

Kelly

Hemostat

Pean

Tonsil

Clamps/Graspers (Locking Forceps) – Special

Right Angle Forceps (Mixter/Gemini/Lahey)

  • Ratcheting Clamp that Forms a Right Angle
  • Used for Clamping & Dissecting

Allis Forceps

  • Multiple Interlocking Fine Teeth
  • Used for Retracting Tissue

Babcock Forceps

  • Curved Triangular Tips in Which the Bases Meet & Pinch Tissue
  • Hold Tissue While Limiting Trauma – More Gentle Than Allis Forceps

Pennington (Duval) Forceps

  • Triangular Tips Similar to Babcock Forceps
  • Not Curved
  • Hold Tissue While Limiting Trauma

Kocher (Ochsner) Forceps

  • Large Interlocking Teeth
  • Used for Retracting Muscle & Fascia

Barrett Tenaculum Forceps

  • Sharp Pointed Tips
  • Used for Retraction, Often Used for Cervix/Uterus

Foerster Sponge Forceps

  • Ringed Tip
  • Used to Hold Sponges

Right Angle

Allis

Babcock

Pennington

Kocher

Tenaculum

Forester

Towel Clamps

Backhaus (Penetrating) Towel Clamp

  • Sharp Pointed Tips
  • Used to Clamp Towels or for Heavy Tissue/Skin

Nonpenetrating (Atraumatic) Towel Clamp

  • Nonpenetrating Clamp
  • Curved Ends with Interlocking Fine Teeth

Edna (Lorna) Towel Clamp

  • Nonpenetrating Clamp
  • Curved Ends with Interlocking Fine Teeth

Hoff (Ball and Socket) Towel Clamp

  • Nonpenetrating Clamp
  • Uses a Ball & Socket Clamp Device

Backhaus

Nonpenetrating Towel Clamp

Edna

Hoff Towel Clamp

Needle Holders

Mayo-Hegar Needle Holder (Needle Holder)

  • Thick Head to Hold Needles
  • Ratcheted to Prevent Slipping/Twisting
  • Most Commonly Used in General Practice

Crile-Wood Needle Holder

  • Similar to a Mayo-Hegar
  • Finer & More Rounded Tip – Used for More Delicate Needles
  • Ratcheted to Prevent Slipping/Twisting

Gillies Needle Holder

  • Thick Head to Hold Needles
  • Not Ratcheted
  • Different Sized Handles – Large Hole for Thumb and Small Hold with Long Handle for Other Fingers

Castroviejo (Castro)

  • Small – Used for Small Needles (Such as in Vascular Surgery)
  • Locking but Not Ratcheted

Mayo Needle Holder

Crile-Wood Needle Holder

Gillies Needle Holder

Castro

Vascular Clamps

Straight DeBakey Clamp

  • Jaws Lined Similar to DeBakey Forceps
  • Straight with no Curve/Angle
  • Ratcheting & Locking

Angled DeBakey Clamp

  • Jaws Lined Similar to DeBakey Forceps
  • Single Angle at About 30-Degrees
  • Ratcheting & Locking

Satinsky (Cooley) Clamp

  • Jaws Lined Similar to DeBakey Forceps
  • Two Angles form Nearly a 90-Degree Angle
  • Ratcheting & Locking

Profunda Clamp

  • Multiple Angles & Curves
  • Often Used to Clamp the Profunda Femoral Artery

DeBakey Aortic Clamp

  • Large Clamp with a Slight Angle
  • Used for Clamping the Aorta

Bulldog

  • Small Spring-Action Clamp
  • Used for Temporary Occlusion of Small Vessels

Vessel Loops

  • Rubber Strands
  • Looped Around Vessels to Retract & Occlude
  • Available in Different Colors & Sizes

Rumel Tourniquet

  • Umbilical Tape is Looped Around a Vessel
  • Umbilical Tape is Then Tunneled Through a Rumel Catheter
  • Catheter is Clinched with a Hemostat to Occlude Vessels

Straight DeBakey

Angled DeBakey

Satinsky

Profunda

DeBakey Aortic Clamp

Bulldog

Vessel Loops

Rumel Tourniquet

Adjuncts

Rubber Shods (Boots)

  • Rubber Tips Put onto the End of Mosquito Clamps
  • Used to Hold Suture, Common in Vascular Surgery

Peanut Dissector Sponges

  • Cotton/Gauze Tips Placed onto the Ends of Clamps
  • Used for Blunt Dissection and Absorption

Shods

Peanut