Veterinary Surgical Instruments & Related Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering the primary surgical instruments, clamps, retractors, orthopedic tools, suture materials, and key sterility concepts discussed in the lecture transcript.

Kelly Hemostat

Medium-sized hemostatic forceps; transverse serrations that run only halfway down the jaws; used to clamp bleeding vessels in superficial tissues.

Crile Hemostat

Medium-sized hemostat with transverse serrations along the entire jaw length; secures hemostasis in deeper anatomical tissues than Kellys.

Halsted Mosquito Hemostat

Small, delicate hemostat for clamping tiny vessels; ideal for very small patients or precise work.

Hartmann Mosquito Hemostat

The smallest hemostat; used in ophthalmic or other ultra-delicate surgeries to control minute bleeders.

Rochester-Carmalt Hemostat

Large intestinal/bowel clamp with longitudinal serrations and cross-hatch tips; atraumatic enough to occlude bowel or large vessels.

Rochester-Pean Hemostat

Large traumatic hemostat with horizontal serrations; used to clamp large blood vessels during major hemorrhage.

Babcock Intestinal Forceps

Atraumatic forceps with fenestrated ends and no teeth; used to gently grasp delicate tubular organs such as intestines.

Doyen Intestinal Forceps

Long, smooth-jawed, springy forceps that occlude but do not crush bowel or soft organs like liver lobes.

Allis Tissue Forceps

Traumatic grasping forceps with interlocking teeth; hold body wall or sponges but damage living tissue.

Adson Rat-Tooth Thumb Forceps

Fine thumb forceps with 1×2 teeth for grasping superficial tissue edges during suturing.

Adson-Brown Thumb Forceps

Thumb forceps with multiple small serrated teeth; provide secure hold on delicate skin or fascia without puncturing deeply.

DeBakey Tissue Forceps

Long, atraumatic vascular forceps with fine rounded ridges; favored for delicate vessel or cardiac work.

Cushing (Long Adson) Forceps

Longer version of Adson rat-tooth forceps (≈5 in.); Dr. Winkheimer’s preferred thumb forceps for skin suturing.

Metzenbaum Scissors

Long-shank, narrow-blade scissors for fine soft-tissue dissection; never used on skin, suture, or drapes.

Mayo Scissors

Stout, wide-bladed scissors for cutting drapes, suture, or thicker tissue; can also perform blunt dissection.

Standard Operating Scissors

General-purpose surgical scissors for cutting suture or drape material; not intended for in-body tissue dissection.

Suture Removal Scissors

Small scissors with a hooked notch on one blade to lift and cut external non-absorbable sutures.

Lister Bandage Scissors

Bandage-cutting scissors with a blunt, angled probe tip that protects skin while sliding under dressings.

Mayo-Hegar Needle Holder

Needle driver without cutting blades; grasps needles only—requires separate scissors to cut suture.

Olsen-Hegar Needle Holder

Combination needle holder and suture-cutting scissors in one instrument; most surgeons prefer for efficiency.

Senn Retractor

Hand-held double-ended retractor with one toothed and one smooth blade; retracts fascia or muscle.

Army-Navy Retractor

Double-ended, flat, atraumatic retractor with unequal blade lengths; moves large amounts of soft tissue or omentum.

Malleable (Ribbon) Retractor

Bendable metal ribbon that can be shaped to retract strong muscles, especially in large-breed dogs.

Volkmann (Rake) Retractor

Small rake-like hand retractor with multiple prongs; used for superficial tissue retraction.

Weitlaner Retractor

Self-retaining, multi-pronged retractor with ratchet lock; holds spinal or deep muscle layers apart during surgery.

Gelpi Retractor

Self-retaining retractor with single sharp points and ratchet; often used in orthopedic procedures; very traumatic.

Balfour Abdominal Retractor

Large self-retaining retractor with side and cranial blades; spreads abdominal walls to expose viscera.

Backhaus Towel Clamp

Penetrating clamp with sharp tips for securing drapes to patient skin.

Backhaus-Roeder Towel Clamp

Backhaus clamp fitted with protective balls near tips to reduce skin trauma and drape tearing.

Edna (Non-penetrating) Towel Clamp

Spring clamp with blunt ends; attaches suction/cautery lines to drapes without piercing patient skin.

Kern Bone-Holding Forceps

Toothed, ratcheted clamp that firmly grips bone fragments, allowing reduction of fractures.

Lowman Bone Clamp

Atraumatic, screw-style “bone vise” that aligns bone segments without crushing; adjustable pressure.

Dingman (Cartilage/Bone) Clamp

Angled, ratcheted clamp that holds bone ends together during plating or pinning.

Rongeur

Heavy, spring-loaded instrument that bites and removes small bone fragments from fracture sites.

Periosteal Elevator (Freer)

Flat, chisel-like tool for lifting periosteum off bone surfaces prior to grafts or implants.

Brun (Bone) Curette

Spoon-shaped scraper used to scoop cancellous bone or collect marrow samples.

Liston Bone Cutting Forceps

Double-springed, shear-type cutter that cleanly snips through bone segments.

Osteotome

Chisel-like orthopedic instrument tapped with a mallet to cut or reshape bone.

Gigli Wire & Handles

Serrated flexible wire saw with removable handles; cuts bone or horns by back-and-forth sawing motion.

Michele Trephine

T-shaped coring tool with central stylet; obtains cylindrical bone biopsies.

Lane Bone-Holding Clamp

Rat-toothed clamp with locking bar used to grasp and manipulate bone; two opposed teeth provide firm hold.

Sterilization Indicator

Chemical strip placed inside every pack; must change color within acceptable range to confirm sterility.

Vicryl (Polyglactin 910)

Absorbable braided suture commonly used for intradermal closures.

PDS (Polydioxanone)

Absorbable monofilament suture offering long-term tensile strength; surgeon preference vs. Vicryl.

Ethilon (Nylon)

Non-absorbable monofilament suture often employed for skin closures requiring later removal.