General Forceps

Surgical instruments can vary widely by the field of surgery that they are used in. In general, instruments can be divided into five classes by function:

1. Cutting and dissecting instruments:
   • Scalpels, scissors, and saws are the most traditional
   • Although the term dissection is broad energy devices such as diathermy/cautery are often used as more modern alternatives.
2. Grasping or holding instruments:
   • Classically this included forceps and clamps predominantly
   • Roughly forceps can be divided into traumatic (tissue crushing) and atraumatic (tissue preserving, such as Debakey's)
   • Numerous examples are available for different purposes by field
3. Hemostatic instruments:
   • This includes instruments utilized for the cessation of bleeding
   • Artery forceps are a classic example in which bleeding is halted by direct clamping of a vessel
   • Sutures are often used, aided by a needle holder
   • Cautery and related instruments are used with increasing frequency in high resource countries
4. Retractors:
   • Surgery is often considered to be largely about exposure
   • A multitude of retractors exist to aid in exposing the bodies cavities accessed during surgery
   • These can broadly be handheld (often by a junior assistant) or self-retaining
5. Tissue unifying instruments and materials:
   • This would include instruments that aid in tissue unification (such as needle holders or staple applicators)
   • And the materials themselves