Forceps were invented back in 1735 by Peter Chamberland, the elder in England. Today, forceps are evolved into many critical surgical instruments. Mechanically, forceps are used for their principle of the lever to grab things or biological parts.
The basic shape of forceps allows users to apply pressure with great precision easily. Likewise, based on their function, basic forceps can be divided into two types:
- Disposable Forceps: It is usually prepared with not-so-real quality and meant to be disposed of after single use.
- Non-Disposable Forceps: Forged with heavy-duty materials, they are also known as reusable forceps. They can withstand various chemical effects of tissues, body fluids, cleaning agents, secretion, and sterilization methods.
Materials
Reusable forceps are usually made with superior carbon steel. The use of high-grade material ensures that they can hold against repeated sterilizations and high-pressure autoclaves. However, some forceps are also made with high-quality materials such as chromium, stainless steel, and vanadium to ensure durability and keep them free from rust.
Types
Based on their mechanics, forceps are divided into two basic types: locking forceps and non-locking forceps. However, these two types are further categorized into dozens of unique forms.
Non-Locking/Thumb Forceps:
Thumb forceps are designed to hold a thumb and two or sometimes three fingers. In other words, they are sprung tools used by compression of our fingers, used for grasping and manipulating body tissues.
Two general types of thumb forceps are tissue forceps and dressing forceps. Dressing forceps, as the name suggests, is used for dressing wounds. Secondly, fine dressing forceps are also used for eye surgeries. While tissue forceps have small teeth, it helps to grip the tissue better and minimize tissue damage.
Thumb forceps either have smooth tips, mouse’s teeth, or cross-hatched. The usual arrangements of teeth are 1×2, 7×7, and 9×9.
Here are some common types of thumb forceps:
Adson Tissue Forceps: Used for grasping tissues, come with 1×2 teeth.
Bonn Tissue Forceps: It is best for delicate work, designed with a tying platform, assist in tying sutures.
Iris Dressing Forceps: Ophthalmologists love them; they are also serrated in nature and have 1 or 2 teeth.
Locking/Hemostatic Forceps:
Locking forceps are also called ring forceps. They are hinged tools that look a lot like ring scissors. Whereas, hemostatic forceps have locking mechanics called a ratchet. The open ends of forceps, as a result, come close as each ratchet locks on its counter ratchet.
Hemostat forceps are mainly used to hold blood vessels and control the blood flow in any tubular structure. The most common types of ring forceps are:
Kelly Forceps: They can either have a curved jaw or a straight. They were commonly used to hold large blood vessels. People often get confused between kelly forceps and Rochester forceps. They look very similar; however, Rochester’s forceps can reach a little deeper as compared to kelly forceps.
Mosquito Forceps: They hold the small vessels correctly. When the incision(cut) is shallow, Hartman Mosquito Forceps are used and come with short tips and serrated jaw. While for more extended and lighter hemostats, Halstead mosquito forceps are preferred.
Apart from these main types, we provide forceps of all kinds, including:
- Allis Tissue Forceps
- Crile Hemostat Forceps
- Rochester- Oschner Forceps
- Rochester-Carmalt Forceps are also known as Stars and Stripes Hemostat with cross-hatch tips.
- Alligator Forceps
- Magil Forceps
- Obstetrical Forceps
- Tenaculum Forceps
- Vulsellum Forceps
Why Choose Us?
A1MedCare instruments are built with high-quality materials and craftsmanship to provide you with reliable tools at a cost-effective price. We offer a wide variety of surgical tools, including surgical kits. Whether you are looking for quality European surgical tools, marine-grade stainless steel forceps, or precision American-made scissors, our surgical instruments’ quality is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee.