Do you know that some equipment is very important in specific surgical procedures, such as scissors? In surgeries, surgical scissors help surgeons open or cut organs and tissues present inside the body or on the surface.
Scissors have blades that can be curved or straight. They have sharp edges at the working ends that may help disfigure tissues. They come in different sizes and shapes with other blades or extent of bluntness. Most surgeons use different sizes and shapes of scissors – as per the requirement of the operations and procedures.
Your surgeon would use scissors for different purposes during a surgical procedure. It comes in many different shapes and degrees of sharpness. It is important to note that you can use utility scissors to cut non-biological materials such as bandages, sutures, and tissue cutting.
Your doctor will also use utility scissors during surgery to cut paper and other materials that might dull the blade of a sharper instrument. Note that scissors used for suturing materials or for removing stitches are called suture scissors.
Surgical Scissors Definition
The scissor is defined as the cutting instruments or materials often used in cutting paper, hair, cloth, and other materials with two sharp blades often screwed at the center to cut together.
Operating or surgical scissors generally come in different sizes and are used to cut soft tissue. The cutting blades can be curved, straight, blunt, or pointed. The shape of the cutting blade will depend on the function of the operation.
Your doctor may use dissecting scissors to separate and differentiate tissues because they are more precise than operating scissors. In contrast, iris scissors are small and usually designed for excising lesions on or portions of the eye.
Uses of Surgical Scissors in the Medical Field
The notable advantages of these scissors in operations are:
- Your doctor will use these scissors while removing or applying bandages on wounds. It will also help to cut materials such as non-biological or adoptive parts.
- Surgical scissors also help to cut papers during operations.
- While adding or removing the stitches, your surgeon will use these scissors.
- It helps in the cutting and removal of sutures.
- Note that dissecting scissors may help differentiate between tissues and isolation of tissues to get more precision during procedures.
- In eye surgeries, your surgeon will use these scissors commonly known as iris scissors. These are very delicate in design and will help doctors to remove lesions.
Handling of Scissors
Do you know how to hold the scissors? In order to hold the scissors, your ring finger of the right hand and right thumb are involved. You must hold them just like the needle drivers. In case, if the arm is pronated or supinated – then the holding position will help you to balance the scissors.
Experts recommend not holding the scissors by the middle finger and thumb as it is the wrong holding position. Because this will make you lose balance, and the scissor’s tip can slide towards the other side. The index finger will help to balance or control the scissor while the surgeon performs operations.
Widely Used Scissors in the Surgical Field
The major types are:
1. Mayo Scissors
These are available in two forms such as straight or curved. These are also known as suture scissors.
2. Mayo Scissors Straight
Different settings and procedures require a functional instrument. This type of mayo scissors can dissect the tissues in the body or on the surfaces. But it depends on whether the surgeons want to use straight or curved. It will solely depend on the need of the operation or the preferences. It comes in different lengths, sizes, and blunt tips.
3. Mayo Scissors Curved
Your surgeon will use this type of scissors to cut sutures or in dressing procedures. Especially while applying or removing wounds or bandages. Different procedures will require various scissors and their settings. They will use the bent type in dissecting the deep tissues. It typically consists of blunt and sharp working ends.
4. Metzenbaum Scissor
This category of scissors is also known as “Metz” which serves the purpose of dissecting and cutting. Mostly they are present as curved types. They are primarily used to pierce or cut delicate tissues. You can find them in various sizes – regular or long.
5. Iris Scissors
It is much smoother than Metz scissors and can easily pierce tissues into fine structures. You can find iris scissors in blunt, small, and straight forms.
6. Potts Scissor
Your surgeon will use these scissors as it is beneficial to use in venotomy procedures. These are angled scissors, which can help cut tissues into vascular structures.
Surgical Scissors – Importance
Surgical scissors are specialized surgical tools often used during an operation. Your doctor can cut and dissect the tissues at the surface or inside the body. As you know, scissors come in varying shapes, and their degree of sharpness also varies. The blades of the scissor are often curved or straight.
Your doctor will use sharpened edges to cut and dissect the hard muscles and tissues. Scissors are generally made up of high-grade stainless steel. For hardness, some scissors are reinforced with tungsten carbide, especially along the cutting edge, for hardness?
Note that the hardness allows the cutting with sharp edges, thus making the cutting easier and smoother. You would be surprised to know that there are about 2000 different types of surgical scissors in use. You can find scissors in a wide range of styles, lengths, and cutting angles to allow doctors to meet the needs of various surgical procedures.
Generally, scissors are classified as – operating and dissecting scissors. Operating or surgical scissors are often used to cut soft tissue. They have straight, curved, blunt, or pointed cutting blades. The type of surgery or operation determines the shape of the cutting blade. Dissecting scissors are often employed to isolate and differentiate the tissues. The reason being they are more precise than the operating scissors.
Sharpening of Scissors Before Surgical Procedure
You would also agree that surgical equipment and its sharpness should be maintained. Every healthcare facility should design and schedule the testing of scissors.
It will help to avoid complications in surgeries.
- With the help of your middle finger of the right hand and right thumb hold the scissors just like a surgeon holds while doing operations.
- All the way to the distal tip – you should use only half of the blade of the scissor for piercing any material.
- After making several cuts, you should retrieve the scissors. These are considered sharp if they do not pick or hang on to the material.
- Ideal surgical scissors work smoothly – without any grind or jump. Even the opening and closing are quite simple.
Types of Scissors based on function:
Straight Scissor
The blade of this scissor is straight. It is widely used as an instrument for mechanical dissection in surgery. The straight scissor can give a controlled depth of cut because one of the jaws moves. When cutting, the surgeon should keep the fixed jaw down and the moving jaw up.
Curved Scissor
The blade of these scissors is slightly curved. The surgeon prefers this scissor because the curvature of the blade is helpful during an operation. It also gives a better view through the telescope.
Serrated Scissor
The main advantage of these scissors is that the serrated edge prevents the tissue from slipping out of the blades. The surgeon uses the instrument to cut slippery tissues or ligatures. Serrated scissors might be straight or curved.
Hook Scissor
The sharp edge of both blades of the scissors is in the shape of a flattened C. The scissors’ main advantage is that they encircle the structure before cutting. First, the tissue is held between its jaws, so there is significantly less chance of slipping. The hook scissor is especially useful for cutting ducts or arteries during surgery.
Care and Handling of Surgical Scissors
It is important to note that careless handling and use might damage or dull the instrument’s surface. Moreover, the misuse of the device can also endanger the test subjects. To prevent any damage, you should handle the instrument very carefully.
You should place the scissors carefully in the tray and should not be jostled around while setting up for the surgical procedure. You should not drop or toss the scissors. In order to ensure the safety of the object being operated, instruments should be sterilized and autoclaved just before the surgical procedure.
It is important to note that the scissors should not be used to cut other items except the vessels or tissues they are meant for. You should wipe off any blood and remaining tissue before reusing the scissor. After the surgical procedure, you should place the scissors in a sterile solution to eradicate any infectious agents.
Final Thought
As you know, scissors are considered cutting equipment in the medical field as these have blades and sharp working ends. You can find quality scissors in the market easily. You can find a wide range of surgical scissors, such as iris scissors, metz scissors, ring scissors, and many more. If you do not get the product of your choice, your manufacturer can make them as per your requirements. You only need to share the idea, and you can get customized products.
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