Surgical scissors are
scissors
Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutt ...
specially manufactured as
surgical instruments
A surgical instrument is a tool or device for performing specific actions or carrying out desired effects during a surgery or operation, such as modifying biological tissue, or to provide access for viewing it. Over time, many different kinds of ...
, typically used for cutting sutures, dressings, and cutting and dissecting biological tissue.
Surgical scissors are usually made of
surgical steel. Some have
tungsten carbide
Tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC) is a chemical compound (specifically, a carbide) containing equal parts of tungsten and carbon atoms. In its most basic form, tungsten carbide is a fine gray powder, but it can be pressed and formed int ...
reinforcements along their cutting edges, the
hardness
In materials science, hardness (antonym: softness) is a measure of the resistance to localized plastic deformation induced by either mechanical indentation or abrasion (mechanical), abrasion. In general, different materials differ in their hardn ...
of which allows manufacturers to create sharper and more durable edges.
Mechanical types of scissors
There are two main mechanical types of scissors used in
surgery:
* Ring scissors, which look and function much like standard utility scissors with ring finger loops
* Spring forceps are small scissors used mostly in
eye surgery
Eye surgery, also known as ophthalmic or ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, by an ophthalmologist or sometimes, an optometrist. Eye surgery is synonymous with ophthalmology. The eye is a very fragile organ, and requ ...
or
microsurgery
Microsurgery is a general term for surgery requiring an operating microscope. The most obvious developments have been procedures developed to allow anastomosis of successively smaller blood vessels and nerves (typically 1 mm in diameter) wh ...
. The handles end in flat springs connected with a pivot joint. The cutting action is achieved by pressing the handles together. As the pressure is released, the spring action opens the jaws.
Scissors are available in various configurations like
* Blunt/blunt blades
* Blunt/sharp blades
* Sharp/sharp blades
Examples
Some examples of surgical scissors include:
*
Bandage scissors
* Dissecting scissors
*
Iris scissors
* Suture scissors
*
Tenotomy scissors
*
Metzenbaum scissors
* Plastic surgery (
facelift) scissors
*
Mayo scissors
Gallery
File:Metzenbaum scissors 04.jpg, Metzenbaum scissors
File:Surgical scissors 07.JPG , Mayo scissors
File:Bandage Scissors.JPG , Bandage scissors
File:Surgical scissors 03.JPG , Spring forceps scissors
See also
*
Trauma shears
*
Bandage scissors
*
Hemostat
A hemostat (also called a hemostatic clamp, arterial forceps, or pean after Jules-Émile Péan) is a surgical tool used in many surgical procedures to control bleeding. For this reason, it is common in the initial phases of surgery for the initia ...
, a surgical clamp resembling scissors
*
Needle holder, an instrument resembling scissors used to hold a suturing needle
References
External links
*
Scissors
Surgical instruments
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