Surgical instrument guides

Guidance on selection and use, written from Medlane's experience with surgical instrumentation. Each guide links to the corresponding references in the catalogue.

MEDLANE Knowledge & Quality — materials, documented control protocols, marking and traceability.

• Metzenbaum & Mayo scissors

  Metzenbaum and Mayo are the two most common families of scissors on an instrumentation table. They are not interchangeable: blade geometry and the ratio between jaw length and shank length determine the use.

• Surgical needle holders: selection criteria

  The needle holder holds the needle without letting it rotate or damaging it. The right choice depends mainly on the gauge of the needle used and the depth of the operative field.

• Kocher, Kelly, Crile, Halsted & Leriche

  Hemostatic forceps clamp a vessel or tissue while it is ligated. The choice depends on the calibre of the vessel, the nature of the tissue and whether or not that tissue needs to be preserved.

• Dissecting forceps — the art of the grip

  From the standard forceps to the named architectures: learning how to look at a dissecting forceps, on real MEDLANE catalogue references.

• Needle holders — understanding gripping architectures

  A handle, a locking mechanism, two jaws: learning to recognise needle-holder architectures on real MEDLANE catalogue references.

• Hand-held retractors — reading the architecture before the name

  A handle, a shank, a working end: learning to read a hand-held retractor before giving it a name, on real MEDLANE catalogue references.

• Kerrison rongeurs & disc rongeurs — understanding spinal resection instruments

  Two architectures, two distinct catalogue designations: footplate and pistol grip on one side, cup jaw and ring handle on the other.