Glossary of Surgical Instruments

Surgical Technologists are masters in identifying and handling surgical instruments. Here is a glossary of basic surgical instruments, prepared by Anthem Education Group Surgical Technology instructors.

Adson Forcep-Comes with or without teeth.  Used to align the skin edges of the wound during stapling of the skin; grasp superficial tissues so the steri-strips can be placed.

Allis Clamp-Used for lifting, holding and retracting slippery dense tissue that is being removed.

Army-Navy Retractors-Also called Army’s, Navy’s, U.S. Retractor. Used for retraction of small superficial incisions, to allow better exposure.

Babcock-Used for grasping and encircling delicate structures such as ureters, fallopian tubes, bowel,  and appendix.

Crile Forcep-Also called Hemostat, snap, clam. Used to occlude bleeders before cauterization or ligation.

Curved Mayo Scissors-Heavy scissors with curved blades, used to dissect or undermine heavy fibrous tissue.

Curved Metzenbaum Scissors-Longer, thinner scissors with curved or straight blades that can have blunt or sharp tips. Used to dissect and undermine delicate tissue.

Deaver Retractor-Used for deep retraction of organs and viscera.

DeBakey Tissue Forceps-Used on numerous types of tissue; commonly used in cardiac and vascular surgery.

Knife Handles-come in multiple sizes depending on use, ex: #3, #3L, #4, #7. Used to hold various blades to create a scalpel.

Kocher -Also called Kocher Oschners-Used to grasp touch, fibrous, slippery tissue such as muscle and fascia.

Lister Bandage Scissors-Used for cutting of dressings, drapes, and other items, also used during cesarean sections to open the uterus without harm to the baby.

Mayo Clamp-Also called Peans, Kellys. Used to occlude larger blood vessels and tissue before ligation, usually in deeper wound or on heavier tissue.

Nonpenetrating towel clamp-Used to attach bovie and suction to drapes.

Penetrating Towel Clamp-Also called Backhaus. Used for holding towels in place when draping, for grasping tough tissue and during reduction of small bone fractures.

Ribbon Retractor-Used for retraction of organs and intestines in the wound.

Richardson Retractor-Used for retraction of wound edges. Double sided version is called Richardson-Eastman.

Right Angle Mixter-Also called Mixter forceps. Used to clamp, dissect, and occlude tissue. May also be used to place a tie or vessel loop under and around a tubular structure, enabling  the surgeon to grasp the ligature or loop and pull it up and around the structure to ligate or retract.

Russian Tissue Forcep-Used to grasp dense tissues and used during wound closure.

Sponge Forcep-Also called Sponge Stick, Ring Forceps. Used to create a sponge stick for grasping tissues such as lungs.

Straight Mayo Scissors-Heavy scissors with straight blades, used to cut sutures. Also called suture scissors.

Tonsil Clamp-Also called a Schnidt. Used to clamp small vessels in a deep wound or hold on tonsil sponges.

Toothed tissue forceps-also called Rat tooth, Tissues with Teeth. Used to grasp moderate to heavy tissue.
You can earn a Surgical Technologist diploma or degree to prepare for an entry-level position at some of the campuses of Anthem College and Anthem Institute, and at The Bryman School of Arizona.

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