Surgical Instruments and

Terminology
4-H Veterinary Science
Extension Veterinary Medicine
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science
Texas A&M System
http://aevm.tamu.edu

Objectives
Describe various surgical instruments
Discuss the names of various surgical

instruments

 Perform surgical procedures

Chosen based on action
These tools are used for

Holding
Pulling
Clamping
Cutting
Crushing
Closing a wound

Definitions
Excision removal of tissues by surgical cuts
Ecraseur an instrument that permits

excision by a crushing action

Incision surgical cut made into a tissue of
organ
Cannula a tube that is inserted into a body
cavity for drainage of fluid

Scissors
Four different types

Utility
Suture
Surgical
Dissecting

 Utility

Cut material that may dull the blade

 Suture
Remove sutures
Type of utility

 Operating
Surgical
Cut soft tissue
Different sizes
Blade can be straight, curved, blunt or pointed

 Dissecting
Separate and differentiate tissues

Forceps
Three Types

Thumb forceps
Clamping forceps
Needle holders

Look like tweezers

 Thumb forceps
Used for

Grasping
Compressing
Cutting
Pulling tissue

 Clamping forceps
Hemostats
Control blood flow

 Needle holders
Locking forceps
Similar to hemostats
Holds suture needles when installing stitches

Scalpels
Very sharp knife
Handle and blade are packaged separately
Used to make surgical cuts called incisions
Different sizes and styles
Tenotome- dissecting scalpel used for fine

dissection and cutting or dividing tendons

Tubes
Cannula
Wound healing
Different lengths
Types

Trocar
Catheters

 Trocar

Release fluid or gas build-ups

Sharp stylet inside cannula

 Catheters
Either metal or rubber
Inserted into body structures