Monday, August 9, 2010

What are the types for surgical tools?

Today, we come across different physical ailments. The healthcare professionals strive their best either to provide complete relief or improve the condition of the sufferer; thanks to the technological advancements in the medical industry! In certain scenarios, doctors believe that medications would do better in the management of the medical condition of a patient, but there are circumstances that they have to opt for surgeries in order to save the life of their patients. Surgery, of course, is a complicated process, which needs optimal training, hands-on experience, and definitely high-quality surgical instruments & medical equipment, after all it is a life that matters. Here, we discuss about the various tools a medical practitioners employ during the surgery.

Hand Instruments: The success of a surgery is mainly dependent on the instruments used. For any type of surgery, surgeons and their staff trust hand instruments to optimally perform the task. Without them, the basic techniques of an operation, like making the incision, clamping bleeders, cauterizing tissue, and closing the wound on completion of the case, would be impossible. Let’s take a brief look at what are those hand instruments.

Scissors: Being cutting instruments, scissors are vital for any surgery. They are used to cut tissues or bandages, sutures, and clothing. A blunt or sharp blade, either straight or curved, is included. Mayo and Metzenbaum are the two types of surgical scissors used to cut different types of biological tissues.

Forceps: They have two projecting parts, either straight or curved, held together at one end and are mainly used for holding and handling tissue and holding skin. Grasping and holding the bowel and bladder and clamping and hold blood vessels are also done using forceps. There is a wide range of medical forceps in use, like anesthesia, biopsy, eye, bone-cutting, intestinal, and so on.

Retractors: They are used to keep the edges of a surgical incision or wound apart. Retractors are also used to hold back underlying organs and tissues, which enable surgeons to easily access the body parts under the incision.

Needle Holders: Also called as needle drivers, needle holders hold the needles securely to optimally guide during the suturing process.

Scalpels: They are sharp dissectors used to make incision during surgeries. Blades in scalpels can be removed after use. Nowadays, disposable scalpels are also available.

Electro-surgical Tools: In the earlier stage, surgeons had to clamp and tie off bleeding vessels and cut the tissue using a scalpel or scissors. The invention of electro-surgical tools has let the surgeons to make a precise cut with minimal blood loss. The process involves direct heating of biological tissue using a high-frequency electric current in order to cut, coagulate, or desiccate the tissue. Today, it is hard to find any surgery without electro-surgical instruments, be it a cardiac, dermatological, gynecological, ENT, orthopedic, urological, neuro, dental, or general surgical procedures.

Orthopedic Surgery Tools: Anyone who has serious issues in his/her bones or joints would have to undergo an orthopedic surgery. But, do you know what are instruments used during the procedure. An orthopedic surgeon uses power saws, hammers, screwdrivers, drills, metallic plates, and steel pins while repairing any bone fracture, knee and hip replacements, arthroscopy, and the like.

Surgical Microscopes: A wide variety of surgical microscopes are employed for different applications, say dental microscopes, ophthalmic microscopes, gynecology microscopes, ENT microscopes, orthopedic microscopes, and general surgery microscopes. Due to the technological advancements, more features are added on to best serve the needs of medical professionals.

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