A typical set ranges from 54 to over 170 pieces.
1. Cutting and Dissecting Instruments
These tools are used for initial incisions and separating delicate or tough tissue layers.
Scalpel Handles: Sizes #3, #4, and #7 are standard to accommodate different blade types for various incision depths.
Mayo Scissors: Heavy-duty scissors in straight and curved versions used for cutting dense tissues like fascia and sutures.
Metzenbaum Scissors: Lighter, blunt-tipped scissors designed specifically for fine, delicate tissue dissection.
2. Clamping and Occluding Instruments
Used primarily to achieve hemostasis by clamping blood vessels or securing tissues during removal.
Halstead Mosquito Forceps: Small, fine clamps for tiny bleeding vessels.
Crile/Kelly Hemostatic Forceps: Medium-sized clamps for securing larger vessels and blunt dissection.
Rochester-Pean & Ochsner Forceps: Large, robust clamps for heavy tissues or larger vascular structures.
3. Grasping and Holding Instruments
Designed to hold tissue firmly without causing significant trauma.
Allis Tissue Forceps: Toothed clamps used for grasping firm tissues like fascia.
Babcock Forceps: Atraumatic forceps with smooth, flared jaws for delicate structures like the bowel or fallopian tubes.
Adson/Thumb Forceps: Tweezer-like instruments for fine manipulation; available in “toothed” (for skin) and “serrated” (for soft tissue) versions.
Sponge Forceps: Long-handled clamps with ringed tips used for site preparation or internal fluid absorption.
4. Retracting and Exposing Instruments
Critical for maintaining a clear view of the surgical field by holding back organs or skin.
Army-Navy Retractor: A double-ended, hand-held retractor for superficial layers.
Deaver & Richardson Retractors: Hand-held tools for retracting deep abdominal or chest wall tissue.
Balfour Abdominal Retractor: A large, self-retaining retractor that holds the entire abdominal cavity open.
Malleable (Ribbon) Retractors: Metal strips that can be bent into custom shapes to protect deep organs.
5. Suturing and Ancillary Tools
Mayo-Hegar Needle Holders: Ratcheted tools with cross-hatched jaws used to drive needles through tissue during closure.
Yankauer Suction Tube: A rigid, large-diameter tip for clearing large amounts of fluid or blood.
Backhaus Towel Clamps: Used to secure surgical drapes to the patient’s skin.
Probes and Directors: Used to explore narrow passages, ducts, or fistulas
