Essential guide to operating room instruments
Scalpels, scissors, forceps, clamps and retractors, grouped by what they actually do in the room, with the blade numbers and tissue types that tell them apart.
Every instrument, by what it does.
Instrument names are easier to hold onto once you stop learning them one at a time. Almost everything in an operating room belongs to one of these families, and the family tells you most of what a tool does before you know anything specific about it.
Grasping & Holding
749 in the library
Adair Tenaculum ForcepsIdeal for grasping and holding tissues securely during gynecological procedures.
Adson Brown ForcepsSpecialized for grasping and aligning delicate tissue edges, particularly in meticulous procedures.
Cushing Bayonet Dressing ForcepsDesigned for securely holding delicate tissues without causing damage during neurosurgical operations.
Non toothed PickupGrasps tissues and applies dressings.
Retracting & Exposing
704 in the library
Cutting & Dissecting
568 in the library
Specialty
403 in the library
Stryker DrillEnables efficient bone cutting, drilling, and reaming in major orthopedic interventions.
Adjustable Orthopedic WrenchUsed for tightening or loosening orthopedic implants and hardware.
Air Injection CannulaUsed for injecting air into the anterior chamber during ophthalmic procedures.
Akahoshi Hydrodissection CannulaFacilitates hydrodissection during cataract surgery to separate lens layers.
Clamping & Occluding
175 in the library
Allis ForcepsIdeal for securing dense tissues during tonsillectomies, gynecological procedures, or bowel resections where slippery surfaces require firm traction.
BabcockSpecifically designed for delicate manipulation of tubular structures like intestines or reproductive organs without causing crush injuries.
Tonsil ClampUsed for grasping and stabilizing tonsils during tonsillectomy procedures.
Mosquito Clamp - CurvedControls minor bleeding in delicate procedures (plastic, pediatric, thyroid, hand surgeries). Also secures fine vascular sutures.
Suctioning
91 in the library
Poole Suction ProbeRemoves large fluid volumes. Inner cannula suctions femoral shafts in hip replacements.
Ferg-Frazier SuctionEvacuates fluid, blood, and smoke from deep, narrow surgical pathways like nasal cavities, ear canals, and neurosurgical fields.
Yankauer SuctionGeneral wound suctioning. Minimizes tissue trauma during aspiration.
Adson Suction TubeIdeal for neurosurgery, ophthalmology, and other procedures requiring meticulous suction in confined spaces.
Suturing & Stapling
82 in the library
Mayo-Hegar Needle HolderDesigned for manipulating large needles during closure of deep tissues or fascial layers.
Anis Needle Holder Straight with LockFacilitates precise needle control and suture placement in ophthalmic surgery.
Anis Needle Holder without LockEnables delicate needle handling for fine suturing in microsurgical procedures.
Appel Laparoscopic Knot Pusher
Blade numbers, which nobody can browse for
A directory will tell you what a knife handle is. It will not tell you which blade goes on it, and that is the thing you get asked at the field. Four blades cover almost everything you will open.
- #10The workhorse. Large skin incisions, laparotomy, anything that needs a long clean cut.
- #11The stab blade. A sharp point for precise entry: abscesses, arteriotomy, stab incisions for ports.
- #12The hook. A crescent-shaped blade for suture cutting and work inside tight spaces.
- #15The small curve. Short, precise incisions and fine dissection, common in plastics and hands.
The handles matter as much as the blades. A #3 takes the 10, 11, 12 and 15 for shallow work; a long #3 puts the same blades somewhere deep; a #7 is the slim one for tight spaces. Learn the pairing and the question stops being a question.
Telling the near-identical apart
Nobody confuses a retractor with a suction tip. What costs you time at the table is the pairs that look alike in a tray, and every one of them comes down to a single distinguishing feature.
- Curved versus straight Mayo. Curved cuts tissue, straight cuts suture. If it is going near a patient it is curved; if it is going near a knot it is straight.
- Mayo versus Metzenbaum. Mayos are short and heavy for dense tissue. Metzenbaums are long-shanked with short blades, for delicate dissection. The blade-to-shank ratio is the tell.
- Kelly versus Crile. Both are hemostats. Crile serrations run the full jaw; Kelly serrations run only part way. Kelly is also the longer of the two.
- Allis versus Babcock. Allis has teeth and grips hard, so it goes on tissue coming out. Babcock is smooth and rounded, so it goes on bowel that has to survive.
- Adson versus Adson Brown. Adson has one or two fine teeth for skin. Adson Brown has multiple small teeth in rows, for holding delicate tissue without crushing it.
Sutures follow their own backwards logic worth stating once: the bigger the number, the smaller the thread. A 5-0 is finer than a 2-0, and an 11-0 is microsurgery. Tapered needles push through soft tissue; cutting needles have an edge for skin and anything tough.
Names are the first layer.
The 54 basic instruments
The core set every program teaches first, with a photo and a use for each one. If you are studying for an identification test, start there rather than here.
In contextSee them on a real table
Knowing an instrument is not the same as knowing where it goes. Hundreds of real back tables and mayo stands, laid out case by case.
Free with an accountWrite up your own
Build a setup from the instruments you actually use in your rotation. Yours to keep, and your classmates can read it.