Surgical instruments are usually made of stainless steel, to allow them to be reusable from one patient to another after proper sterilization. There are some tools or parts of them that must be disposable and are usually made of acrylic materials or materials such as titanium and bakelite. But the most important thing is that whatever instruments are used in the operating room, they must be disinfected.
Whatever material they are made of, the tools in an operating room must be resistant to any body fluids and if they are reusable they must also be resistant to hygiene and sterilization processes.
Surgical tools are specifically designed for each requirement during a surgical procedure. There are some that are common to almost all operations and there are others that are more specific and are only required for specific surgeries.
The scalpel
The scalpel is the star instrument of the operating room par excellence. It is a diaeresis instrument since its function is to cut tissues, being together with the scissors the main diaeresis instruments. The scalpel must have sharp edges that are able to cut and remove tissue and at the same time must have a comfortable handle to facilitate the work of surgeons.
The handle of the scalpel is often reusable, and made of copper, while its blade is usually disposable and is usually made of carbon steel. To change the scalpel blades, which are very different from each other due to their shape and size, it is necessary to use tweezers.
There are dozens of types of scalpel blades and types of scalpel handles, which are chosen according to their purpose. The precision required and the area where the incision is to be made are decisive factors in determining which type of blade and which type of handle will be the most suitable for shaping the scalpel for each occasion.
Scissors
Scissors are another basic instrument for cutting tissue in surgical interventions.
Depending on their specific purpose, they will have different characteristics in terms of their angle, their tips, and their curvature in general. Depending on their purpose, the length of their handle will also vary.
Depending on the tissue that the scissors have to cut, the type of tip, the shape, the sharpness of their blades, and the material they are made of will also vary.
Forceps
Forceps are grasping instruments since their ultimate purpose is to grasp and move tissues and other surgical instruments during surgery.
Forceps are divided into several parts that vary from one to another depending on their specific application in each case. The main parts are: the handle, the jaw, the rings and zippers, and the locking box. A fundamental part is a jaw, since it is responsible for exerting pressure on the fabric to hold it.
The two main types of forceps are the elastic grasping forceps, used to stabilize tissues, and the continuous grasping forceps used to maintain soft tissues. Within each of these types, there are other more specific subtypes depending on the specific case presented in the operating room.
Sutures
Sutures are a basic element in any operating room since they are what make it possible for doctors to close the incisions that have been made so that the patient can recover as soon as possible.
There are two basic types of sutures:
The absorbable ones: these are the ones that the human organism assumes and takes care of undoing when they have already fulfilled their function. Among them, there are different types of sutures composed of different materials, the main distinction being that of natural sutures and synthetic sutures.
Non-absorbable sutures: are those that must be removed by a medical specialist once they have fulfilled their function of joining the tissues; in this case, in addition to the difference between natural and synthetic sutures, these can be made of different materials such as silk, linen or polyester.
Sometimes it is necessary to use other alternatives to join tissues that have been sectioned, sometimes using staples, tapes, or topical adhesives.
Needles
Needles are instruments that usually have sharp tips whose main function is to pierce tissues. Depending on the tissues to be pierced and the purpose, a different needle will be chosen in terms of the type of tip and its curvature.
Depending on the purpose of each needle, it is also necessary to choose between reusable needles or disposable needles.
Needles are mainly differentiated from each other according to their tip (triangular or conical, among others) and their curvature (straight or semi-curved, among others).
In addition to the surgical materials, it is also necessary that the operating room in which the surgical interventions are carried out meets a series of basic sterilization and lighting conditions. These conditions must enable the medical staff to perform their work as comfortably and effectively as possible.
