54 Basic Surgical Instruments: Pictures, Names, and Uses
The basic set a surgical tech learns first. Every instrument with its photo, the names it goes by and what it is used for, grouped by what it does, with the one detail that tells each look-alike apart.
Straight Mayo Scissor
Curved Mayo Scissor
Metzenbaum Scissor
Potts-Smith Scissors All 54 as cut-out flashcards
Four to a page: the photo on the front; the name, class and use on the back. Cut on the dashes, fold, and test yourself.
All 54 basic surgical instruments, with pictures, names and uses.
The basic OR instruments with their names and uses, grouped by what they do. Each card opens the instrument’s page, free: every name it goes by, what it is used for and the sizes it comes in.
Cutting and dissecting instruments: knife handles and scissors.
Scissors cut and dissect tissue, and one pair is kept for suture. Knife handles take their blades by number.
Straight Mayo ScissorCutting suture during closure and when tying off. It is also the scissors for mesh, drains, dressings and other non-tissue items on the field. Curved Mayo ScissorCutting and dissecting heavy, tough tissue such as fascia, muscle and large tendons or ligaments. Metzenbaum ScissorCutting and dissecting delicate tissue such as peritoneum, the covering of organs, and fat. The tips are also used to spread tissue planes apart before cutting. Potts-Smith ScissorsOpening a vessel and extending the incision (arteriotomy or venotomy), and trimming vessel edges, in vascular and cardiac surgery.
#3 Knife HandleHolds a blade for the skin incision and other fine, precise cuts. Sets often carry two: one blade for the skin and a second, clean one for deeper cutting.
#3 Long Knife HandleUsed as the deep knife for precise cutting deep in a wound, where a standard #3 handle is too short.
#7 Knife HandlePrecise cuts deep in a wound or in a narrow space; the thin handle does not block the view, as in the nose or throat. Often loaded with a #11 or #15 blade.
Stryker DrillDrills, reams and cuts large, dense bone in orthopedic cases such as total hip and knee replacement.- #10 bladeThe most used blade. Its curved edge makes skin incisions, the laparotomy incision included.
- #11 bladePointed, for stab incisions: a drain or a trocar port, opening an artery, draining an abscess.
- #12 bladeA small hooked blade, sharp on the inside of the curve. Used mostly for tonsillectomy.
- #15 bladeSmall and curved, for short, precise cuts in plastic, hand and pediatric surgery.
All four fit the #3 handle, the long #3 for deep wounds, and the #7, a thin handle a little longer than the #3 for deep or narrow spaces. The large blades, #20 to #25, go on a #4.
- Curved or straight Mayo?
Curved cuts heavy tissue such as fascia and muscle. Straight cuts suture.
- Mayo or Metzenbaum?
The Mayo is short and heavy, for dense tissue. The Metzenbaum has long handles and short, fine blades for delicate tissue, and never cuts suture.
- #3 or #7 handle?
Both take the small blades. The #7 is thinner and a little longer, so it fits deep, narrow spaces.
Clamping and occluding instruments: hemostats and vascular clamps.
They close on a vessel or on tissue and lock with a ratchet. Most hemostats differ only in size and in how far the grooves on the jaw run.
Allis ForcepsLifting, holding and retracting slippery, dense tissue, usually tissue that is being removed. Common on tonsils, breast, thyroid and vaginal tissue, and for holding bowel during a resection.
BabcockSpecifically designed for delicate manipulation of tubular structures like intestines or reproductive organs without causing crush injuries.
Tonsil ClampClamps small bleeders deep in a wound, such as the tonsil bed, and holds tonsil sponges. It is also used to carry a free tie around a vessel (a 'tie on a passer').
Mosquito Clamp - CurvedControls minor bleeding in delicate procedures (plastic, pediatric, thyroid, hand surgeries). Also secures fine vascular sutures.
Kelly ForcepsIdeal for securing bleeders prior to ligation or cauterization in various surgical contexts.
Kocher ForcepsGrasping tough, slippery tissue such as fascia, muscle and tendon, where a clamp without teeth would slip.
Lahey Gall Duct ForcepsDissects tissue planes, clamps vessels, and passes a tie or vessel loop under and around a duct or vessel.
Right Angle ClampDissects around vessels and ducts and clamps them. Often used to pass a tie or vessel loop under a vessel or duct so the surgeon can pull it around to tie off or retract the structure.
Rochester Pean ForcepsClamps large vessels or dense tissue prior to ligation, particularly in deep surgical sites.
Curved HemostatsControls bleeding vessels prior to cautery/ligation. Also assists in blunt dissection.
Debakey Vascular ClampGives total occlusion of peripheral vessels during vascular repair or bypass.
Fogarty ClampProvides atraumatic clamping for delicate vessels and graft materials during vascular procedures.- Kelly or Crile?
The same size, about 5½ inches. On the Crile, the curved hemostat, the grooves run the full length of the jaw; on the Kelly they stop about halfway.
- Mosquito or Crile?
The mosquito is the smallest hemostat on a basic tray, with fine tips for small vessels and for tagging sutures.
- Rochester-Pean or Kelly?
The Pean is longer and heavier, grooved the full length, for thick tissue and larger vessels.
- Kocher or Kelly?
The Kocher has teeth at the tip, 1x2, for tough, slippery tissue such as fascia. The teeth can damage delicate tissue.
Would you know it on the back table?
One question from today’s practice, answered right here, with the reason after it.
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Which of these setups uses the camera control unitKAM-er-uh kun-TROHL YOO-nitThe video tower unit that the endoscopic camera plugs into, which processes its signal into the picture on the monitor.Full entry ?
Grasping and holding instruments: tissue forceps and pickups.
They hold tissue, sponges and drapes. Teeth grip hard and can mark tissue; smooth, rounded jaws spare it.
Adair Tenaculum ForcepsGrasps and holds firm tissue securely. Makers list it with the uterine tenaculums for gynecologic surgery, and in general surgery it is used to grasp large breast masses.
Adson-Brown ForcepsGrasping delicate, superficial tissue such as skin edges, often in plastic and hand surgery.
Cushing Bayonet Dressing ForcepsHolds delicate tissue gently in deep, narrow fields, such as in neurosurgery.
Non-Toothed PickupGrasping tissue, applying dressings, and handling gauze packing, which does not catch on it the way it would on teeth.
Ferris Smith Tissue ForcepsGrasps heavy, dense or fibrous tissue, muscle and bone. Common in orthopedic, spine, obstetric and colorectal surgery.
Foerster Sponge ForcepsHolds a folded gauze sponge as a sponge stick for prepping, soaking up blood or blunt dissection deep in a wound. Also used to grasp tissue such as lung, and to remove uterine contents.
Lahey Traction ForcepsIdeal for securing and manipulating dense fibrous tissues.
Russian Tissue ForcepsEffective for gripping dense tissues or wound edges during closure, particularly in OB/GYN procedures.
Singley Tissue ForcepsSecures delicate tissues, dressings, or intestinal tissue in general, urologic, thoracic, and OB/GYN surgeries.
Adson ForcepsGrasping delicate or superficial tissue. The toothed version aligns the wound edges during skin stapling and holds superficial tissue while Steri-Strips are placed.
Kocher Intestinal ForcepsClamps and holds bowel during intestinal surgery.
Bonney ForcepsGrasps thick, tough tissue such as fascia and muscle; common in obstetric and orthopedic cases.
Penetrating Towel ClampHolds towels and drapes together and in place. Also used to grasp tough tissue that will be removed and to hold small bone fractures. Never use it to attach the ESU cord or suction tubing to the drapes; it punctures them.
Toothed ForcepsEffective for securing moderate-to-dense tissues during wound approximation and closure procedures.- Allis or Babcock?
The Allis has rows of short, fine teeth that grip firmly, so it often goes on tissue that will be removed. The Babcock has smooth, rounded, open jaws that hold bowel, tubes and the appendix without crushing them.
- Adson or Adson-Brown?
The Adson has 1x2 teeth at the tip, for skin. The Adson-Brown has two rows of many fine teeth, the count varying by maker, for delicate tissue near the surface.
- Foerster sponge forceps
Holds a folded gauze sponge as a sponge stick, for prepping and blotting.
- Penetrating towel clamp
Sharp tips that pierce. It holds towels and can grasp tough tissue or small pieces of bone. Once it pierces a drape, it stays until the end of the case.
Retracting instruments: hand-held and self-retaining.
Retractors hold the wound open so the surgeon can see. Hand-held ones need someone to hold them; self-retaining ones hold themselves open.
Volkmann RetractorRetracts skin and tissue near the surface.
Deaver RetractorHolds back abdominal organs and the deep body wall during open abdominal and pelvic surgery, such as retracting the liver or spleen.
Goelet RetractorHolds back skin and superficial tissue in small, shallow incisions. It is also found on hip and other orthopedic trays.
Kelly RetractorRetracts the wound edges and deeper layers, including the deep abdominal wall.
Ribbon RetractorHolds back and protects organs and bowel in a wound, mostly in the abdomen. Narrow, short ones are used in smaller sites.
Richardson RetractorRetracts the edges of shallow to medium-depth wounds. Wider blades are also used to hold back organs such as the liver or spleen, with a sponge under the blade.
Roux RetractorHolds back skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle or organs at the edge of the incision during open surgery.
Senn RetractorRetracts skin and shallow tissue in small incisions. Usually used in pairs.
Army-Navy RetractorRetracts skin and shallow tissue in small or superficial incisions. Usually used in pairs.
Weitlaner RetractorHolds the edges of a small or shallow wound open on its own, so nobody has to hold handheld retractors.
Cushing Vein RetractorHolds back veins, vessels and nearby tissue for exposure in neck work and other wounds of medium depth.
Pratt Rectal SpeculumProvides exposure and visualization of the anal canal and rectum for examination, exposure, or surgery.
Auvard Vaginal SpeculumHolds back the posterior vaginal wall in vaginal and cervical procedures. The blade goes into the vaginal vault and the weight lets it hang in place without a hand on it.
Weisman Graves SpeculumHolds the vaginal walls apart to show the cervix. The open side lets it be lifted out over a catheter or other device already placed in the uterus, and leaves room for other instruments.
Storz Nasal SpeculumHolds the nostril open so the surgeon can see into the nasal cavity, for example during septoplasty.
Balfour RetractorEssential for large abdominal incisions, providing multi-directional retraction for enhanced surgical access.- Deaver or Richardson?
The Deaver is one smooth curve shaped like a question mark, for holding organs back deep in the abdomen. The Richardson has a right-angle blade with a small lip on a straight hollow grip, for the abdominal wall.
- Army-Navy or Senn?
Both are double-ended. The Army-Navy has a blade at each end. The Senn has a rake of three prongs at one end and a small bent blade at the other.
- Volkmann
A rake of 2 to 6 prongs, sharp or blunt. A sharp one is passed handle first, prongs down, and treated as a sharp.
- Weitlaner or Balfour?
Both hold themselves open. The Weitlaner is a small rake that locks with a ratchet. The Balfour is the large abdominal frame, with a wide center blade for the bladder.
Suturing: the needle holder, and the suture it loads.
One instrument from the basic set, and the numbers that come with it.
- 2
- 1
- 0
- 2-0
- 3-0
- 4-0
- 5-0
- 6-0
Above 0, the bigger the number, the thicker the thread. Past 0, the more zeros, the finer: 5-0 is finer than 2-0. The finest, 10-0 to 12-0, are for microsurgery.
- Taper needleRound, with a point and no edge. It slips through soft tissue: bowel, vessels, peritoneum, muscle and fat.
- Cutting needleA sharp edge for tough tissue such as skin and tendon. Conventional cutting has the edge inside the curve; reverse cutting has it outside.
- Needle holder or hemostat?
Needle holder jaws are short and usually cross-hatched, often with carbide inserts that stop the needle turning; gold handles mark the inserts. Hemostat jaws have grooves straight across, to clamp.
Suction instruments: three tips, three jobs.
Each clears blood and fluid from the field. The tip decides where it can go.
Poole Suction ProbeRemoves large amounts of blood and fluid from the abdomen or other body cavity, including amniotic fluid. The inner tube alone gives finer suction, such as down the femoral canal in hip replacement.
Ferg-Frazier SuctionEvacuates fluid, blood, and smoke from deep, narrow surgical pathways like nasal cavities, ear canals, and neurosurgical fields.
Yankauer SuctionGeneral suction of blood and fluid in almost any wound, with less risk of pulling in tissue. Anesthesia also uses it to clear secretions from the mouth and throat as anesthesia is reversed.- PooleA removable guard full of holes keeps bowel and omentum from being pulled in. For the abdomen.
- FrazierThin and angled, with a thumb hole to vary the suction. For neuro, ENT, the face and plastics.
- YankauerRigid, with a curved tip. Made for the throat in tonsillectomy, and used all over the field.
Every other operating room instrument, sorted the same way.
AST sorts instruments by what they do. A basic tray is mostly the six classes above; these are the rest, with the equipment and supplies a case needs.
Equipment130 instrumentsNerve Monitor, da Vinci Bipolar Energy Instrument Cord, Mayo Stand, and every other one, with photos
Supplies260 instrumentsScalpel Blade, Total Shoulder Implant, Ossicular Prosthesis, and every other one, with photos
Dilating26 instrumentsHegar Dilator, Van Buren Urethral Sound, Hank Uterine Dilator, and every other one, with photos
Probing38 instrumentsUterine Sound, Arthroscopic Probe, Ball Probe, and every other one, with photos
Viewing32 instrumentsLaparoscope, Colonoscope, Camera Head, and every other one, with photos
Know all 54 before your instrument test.
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Why identification speed matters at the table.
A surgeon asks for an instrument without looking up from the wound. Knowing it on sight, by its curve, its tips and its jaws, and passing surgical instruments ready to use keeps the case moving.
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The 54 basic instruments, answered.
- What are the 54 basic surgical instruments?The basic set a surgical tech learns first: knife handles and scissors, hemostats and clamps, tissue forceps, retractors and specula, a needle holder and three suction tips. All 54 are above, with photos.
- Is there a PDF of the 54 basic surgical instruments?Yes. All 54 print as cut-out flashcards, four to a page, free with your email. Get the PDF.
- What blades fit a #3 knife handle?The small blades: #10, #11, #12 and #15. The long #3 and the #7 take them too. The large blades, #20 to #25, go on a #4.
- What is the difference between a Kelly and a Crile?Only the grooves. Both are about 5½ inches; Crile grooves run the full jaw, Kelly grooves stop about halfway.
- Curved or straight Mayo scissors?Curved Mayo cuts heavy tissue such as fascia and muscle. Straight Mayo cuts suture.
- How do suture sizes work?Past 0, the more zeros, the finer the thread: 5-0 is finer than 2-0. Above 0, a bigger number is thicker.
- How do you learn surgical instruments fast?One class at a time, then the detail that tells each look-alike apart, then test yourself on photos until naming them is quick. Try one now.
Written from Fuller’s Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice (8th ed.), AST’s Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist, Alexander’s Care of the Patient in Surgery (17th ed., 2022), Nemitz’s Surgical Instrumentation (3rd ed.), Phillips’ Surgical Instrumentation (2nd ed., 2019) and Rutherford’s Differentiating Surgical Instruments (3rd ed., 2019). Your facility’s policies come first.