In this regard, Hemostats or hemostatic forceps are of great use when there is a need to compress an open blood vessel so that blood doesn’t flow out from the body. Hemostats is a versatile surgical instrument that comes in curved and straight variations. These tools are widely used to grasp small and large blood vessels and medium or heavy tissues with their unique design that features serrations along the jaw.
The three primary functions hemostats serve during emergency wound care are:
· They control the bleeding first by clamping small blood arteries.
· Hemostatic forceps are used to grab and secure the existing fascia while debriding and undermining wounds.
· They are a great tool for getting a closer look into the wound and visualizing its deeper parts.
Design of hemostats
The design of hemostats is much similar to ring scissors and hence called “ring forceps”. The ratchet lock is a unique feature of hemostats that is used for clipping. Hemostats are either scissors-like tools or tweezer-like implements that securely grasp objects.
Hemostatic clamps are greatly used for holding tissues and organs, holding them in place firmly, and applying pressure to specific locations. For delicate operations, surgeons mostly prefer this tool with ring handles having a locking ratchet instead of thumb forceps. Locking hemostatic forceps is another word used for clamps that are used to keep the tissue in place safely. When they are used to control the blood flow, they are referred to as hemostats.
These instruments come in different variations of sizes and the jaws can be used at different angles in curved, bent, or straight directions. For instance, some hemostats are used to grip tissues or clasp large vessels while others can be used to compress or tighten small vessels.
Basic functions of hemostatic clamps
Some of the most prevalent functions of hemostatic clamps are as follows:
· Keeps and holds the necessary particles in place
· Clamps small blood arteries and veins to stop blood loss
· To get a better view of the surgical site by grasping and holding the tissue in place
· To stop bleeding in the cases of hemorrhage
· Hemostats are used to treat a wound by decreasing blood loss.
· Forceps/Clamps can hold on small bits of tissues in regions or during procedures where fingers cannot fit or reach
· These instruments are also useful to hold organs such as the bladder in their place
· The clamps/forceps can become handy when the physician is not able to touch sterile bandaging
Hemostatic and General Operating forceps
These forceps are designed in such a way that it prevents leakage from the blood vessels. Apart from this, these tools are also essentially used to perform other functions such as clamping in a hysterectomy surgery. Some of the commonly used instruments used in operating rooms include:
Artery undermining Forceps- These instruments are widely used in cardiothoracic surgical procedures to clamp and hold blood vessels.
Dandy Forceps- These tools are designed to control the bleeding and flow of liquid in the tubing during surgeries. These instruments have a pair of tapered jaws with serrations that assist in minimizing local injury. Both toothed and non-toothed variations are available according to the surgical requirement.
Crile Forceps- This is an incredible tool used in various surgical scenarios. These hemostatic forceps are designed to clamp the blood vessels and tissues during the procedure of laparotomy. Also, they have elongated shafts to reach deeper surgical sites. Crile forceps are available in both straight and curved variations to suit multiple applications.
Adson Forceps- These tools are ideally used to clamp off the small blood vessels to stop the blood flow. To suit multiple surgical approaches, this instrument is available in both curved variations. This tool features a pair of jaws that have delicate serrations to prevent damage to the endothelial layer. The versatile ratchet system allows surgeons to apply different levels of clamping pressure.
Bainbridge Forceps- These hemostatic forceps are very useful in scenarios where the bowels require clamping. This instrument comprises tapered long jaws with longitudinal serrations that provide smooth clamping. These are available in both straight and curved variations to suit several medical approaches.
Precautions
•It is important to inspect, clean, and sterilize surgical instruments before first use and every re-use.
•While reprocessing the instruments, it is important to handle them with care wearing proper personal equipment gear.
•Do not use disinfection agents containing mercury, chloride, active chlorine, iodide, iodine, or bromine as they may damage the instrument.
•Do not soak your instruments in hot water, disinfectants, antiseptics, or alcohol for longer than 2 hours to avoid damaging them.
•Do not use abrasive detergents, wire brushes or pipe cleaners, steel wool, etc.
•Do not use products with high alkaline and high acidic potency for disinfection.
Storage of instruments
After proper sterilization, the instruments need to be kept under environmentally controlled conditions. They must be stored in a way that the products are protected from condensation, excessive humidity, contamination by moisture, excessive air pressure, dust/dirt, etc.
Final word
Hemostats are indeed a great tool that becomes very handy for surgeons in operating rooms for clamping and holding blood arteries and vessels etc. they are also ideal for dissecting thin tissues and holding small sutures in place during surgeries. We at Acheron instruments provide fine-quality hemostats crafted by experts. We have a wide range of hemostatic clamps available in curved and straight variations to aid all your surgical needs. Don’t forget to have a look at our collection available at amazing prices.
