Type of Surgical Scissors

Types of Surgical Scissors

Although you will find many sizes and shapes of surgical scissors, each bearing the name of a famous surgeon, there are basically two types: those with straight blades and those with curved blades.

Surgical scissors with curved blades offer directional mobility, visibility and the means to cut tissue in a smooth curve easily. The 15-20 degree range of motion and visibility of structures over that found with straight surgical scissors. Curved surgical scissors are extremely useful deep in a wound where horizontal cutting with good visibility is desired. Straight surgical scissors have a mechanical advantage for cutting tough tissue. In some situations, straight surgical scissors can provide a more precise straight cut than the curved ones. Curved scissors have 30 to 40 degree more mobility and visibility than straight ones.

A variety of bone cutters are essentially surgical scissors for specialized purposes. Because of the resistance that bone offers to cutting, with the surgical instruments a palmed grip, sometimes with two hands, is needed instead of the finger grip used with other surgical scissors. The jaws of bone-cutting medical tools close more or less abruptly under great tension as the bone fragments separate. The tips of the blades, therefore, should be clear of any structure you do not desire to include in the cut. For example, while using rib cutters it is customary to point the shears perpendicular to the chest wall with the open blades beside rather than aimed toward the intercostals bundle. After starting a bite into the bone with rongeurs, kerrisons or other cutters, all tensions directed into the wound is relaxed, so that the surgical instrument will not slip deeper as the bite is completed. Security is thus gained when the only tension on the tissue is between the jaws of the surgical instruments.