Operating Microscope
Surgical Microscope · OR Microscope · Microscope
A large magnifying microscope on a wheeled floor stand (or a ceiling mount) with a long balanced arm. The head holds the eyepieces for the surgeon and often an assistant, a built-in light and a zoom and focus that are usually worked by a foot pedal. Newer models add a video screen.
On the table
What it does, the lengths it comes in and what experienced techs know about it.
What it’s for
Brought in for microsurgery, where the surgeon needs magnified, lit views of tiny structures: ear surgery, eye surgery, neurosurgery, nerve and small vessel repair, and free flaps. It is draped with a sterile microscope drape before it is moved over the field.
Lengths and variants
Small scopes on a floor stand serve simple cases such as a myringotomy; complex cases such as a tympanoplasty or mastoidectomy need a larger, more mobile floor or ceiling model. The objective lens sets the working distance; 250 mm is standard for ear surgery, and some surgeons prefer 200, 300 or 400 mm.
What experienced techs know
What techs who reach for it every day know about it.Pro
Through the case
In the order you meet it: before, during and after the case.
- Before the case
Inspection and testing
What to check before it reaches the field.Pro
- During the case
Caution
What not to do with it, and why.Pro
- After the case
Care and reprocessing
How it is cleaned, checked and sent back to sterile.Pro
Know it on sight.
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On 23 setups
Every setup it is laid out on.
Every setup this instrument is laid out on, with photos of each table.
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3 sources
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 25 (Ophthalmic Surgery), Box 25.1 and Handling and Care of the Microscope, p. 634-635
- Fuller JK. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 26 (Surgery of the Ear, Nose, Pharynx, and Larynx), p. 666
- somatechnology.com
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