Essential OR Tools and Uses
the needle
Three different types of needles are available; 1/2 round, 3/8 round and straight. Needles are used for different purposes in surgery. Some of them are:
A needle is inserted into a vein to draw blood.
A needle is inserted into an artery to measure blood pressure.
A needle is inserted into the tumor to remove a sample of tissue for examination.
inserting a needle into the spinal cord to inject the drug
blade.
blade
There is a 10 blade with a curved edge, an 11 blade with a triangular point, a 12 blade (sewing machine) and a 15 blade. The blade is used to make an incision in the skin.
gauze
Gauze is used as a surgical dressing to keep wounds clean and protected. It is also used to absorb blood and other fluids from wounds.
Diathermy
Diathermy is used to cut tissue.
retractor
The retractors are sharp, round retractors. The sharp retractor has six prongs. They are often used to retract and simultaneously lift the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
Scissors
Use different scissors, straight or curved. Scissors are basically for cutting. For cutting sutures, bandages, gauze, tape, cotton or cloth.
pliers
There are dissecting forceps and surgical forceps. The tips of the surgical forceps are toothed. Surgical forceps are used to grasp and hold various objects during surgery. These tools include hand pliers, needle holders, clamping pliers, and the like.
clip
There are many types of clips and what they all have in common is a cream clip that allows for a permanent closure. Clamps have many uses in surgery. They can be used to hold tissue together, stop bleeding, and hold instruments or other materials in place. Plastic clips may be used to insert blood vessels to supply blood from the surgical site. Other plastic surgical clips are used for implant placement, tying ligaments, or various other procedures.
scalpel
This is one of the most basic instruments used during surgery. It is a knife with a short blade (about 1 to 3 centimeters) that cuts in skin or other tissue. The blades are very small, which facilitates a clean cut.
Needle Driver/Bracket
There are different types of needle holders. They include straight, left-curved, right-curved, and self-resetting needle holders. They are used to hold suture needles during surgery.
curette
A curette is used to scrape away tissue.
Handling surgical instruments in the operating room
Instrument manipulation is a critical part of surgical procedures. Proper technique minimizes the risk of worker injury and instrument damage. Here are some tips for safely handling operating room instruments:
angle
A good understanding of the different angles will allow members of the operations team to optimize the way they use the instrument. These include:
Steering angle
This is the angle formed between the two instruments that converge in the surgical field. Effective steering angle is approximately 60° (45-75°).
elevation angle
This is the angle the instrument's axis makes with respect to the patient's horizontal axis. The ideal elevation angle is 30-60°.
Azimuth
This is the angle formed between the laparoscope axis and the instruments. Ideally it should be equal for all instruments.
