James Eugenio

Extended Definition
English 363
Dr. Leslie Bruce
5/9/19

Surgical Instruments

Surgical instruments are any tools that can assist with the dissection of an organism to

study, diagnose, prevent, or cure an ailment. These tools for surgery are normally

associated with metal tools that are used to perform simple tasks such as: opening,

holding, breaking, turning, lifting, or mending body parts. These types of equipment are

relatively small in size and can be held with one hand.

History

The study of surgery has been around for centuries. The first known surgery can be

traced to around from 6500 B.C, - 3000 B.C., the exact date is unknown due to many

traces of experimental trials. These trials included a technique called trepantation,

which involves drilling a hole in the a patient's skull (Whitlock, 2018). Any sharp object

can be used to chisel out an opening. Although trepanation was still in its elementary

phase it is still considered surgery. The surgery that we practice today did not begin

until the 1800, but it to had many complications. Many people died of infections from

surgeries or from the surgery itself. The mortality rate did not decrease below fifty

percent until the 1900s (Whitlock, 2018).

Importance

With the introduction of tools, surgery became more successful. The scalpel is a small

straight blade use for incisions. The scalpel can differ in size, shape, and length, but all

still have similar properties. The blades on scalpels can be removed for further

sharpening or receive a replacement. Each blade size only has one corresponding

handle that can secure and hold the razor in place. (Ochsner, 2009). Another major tool

in aiding surgeries are forceps. Forceps are used to perform a task when a hand is too

large to fit within the desired area or to grab small objects. For example, if there are

small bone fragments stuck within the tissue a forcep can by used to grab the pieces.

Forceps can be thumb or locking forceps and can be disposable. Once the wound is

open, a tool called retractors are used to hold it open or move organs out of the way.

The retractors can differ in size and shape depending on the area the tool is being used.

For example it could be a size of a pencil for small incisions near the surface of the skin

or similar in size with a scissor to move bigger organs like the liver or kidneys. Once the

incision is made, dilators can be used to widen the opening to make another incision or

get through a narrow passage (Boleyn 2013).

Figure 1. A scalpel with various types of blade lengths and shape.

Figure 2. Non-disposable locking forceps Figure 3. Retractors

Figure 4. Dilators Figure 5. Non-disposable thumb forceps

Disadvantages

Although the tools can greatly advance the medical field, these tools can only be

effective in the hands of a well experienced surgeon. If a person is not well versed with

the technique of the various tools, they would not know which tools to use for certain

situations. For instance, differentiating whether to use scissors or a scalpel to make an

incision. One factor that can hinder the usefulness of surgical tools is the practice of

sterilization. Since the tools are washed with a sponge and rinsed with sterile water

during a surgery, some tools could have been skipped or washed improperly. If the
sterilization process was performed incorrectly the tools could contain residue and

cause infections to the open wound (Maggie 2013). Another process of sterilization is

with the use of an autoclave. Autoclaves expose the tools to high temperatures and

pressure to ensure the instruments are sterilized. Some of the tools may also not be

sharp enough during the operation causing the surgeon to stop, re-sharpen the tool and

sterilize it, or cause lacerations that could be more difficult to suture. Thus increasing

the time for the operation. With each operation taking more and more time the recovery

time will also increase.

Advantages

With the introduction of surgical tools, the life expectancy of all mankind increased

greatly (Whitlock 2018). Such trivial ailments could cause death by infections. For

example, appendicitis was life threatening until the removal was a viable option. Now

with the use of these tools, organ transplants are now done everyday to save lives. With

the evolving of new tools and technology the practice of surgery can be further

enhanced to help save more lives. Now the use of machines to perform minimally

invasive surgeries, the recovery time is shorter and less painful. This is performed by

making small incisions on the patient and using cameras to navigate throughout the

body.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my peers for reviewing my paper and giving me helpful insight on

specific details that I could improve on my extended definition paper. Justine Cole
helped me focus on a topic that suited me better than my previous one. She also

helped me revise certain areas of my paper to be more clear and concise.

Works Cited

Access Science Article. Access Science, McGraw-Hill Education, 2003,

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Boleyn, Maggie. “The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health.” Gale Virtual
Library, Gale, Cengage Learning, 2013.

Medical Supplies,, BP. “Prestige Medical Kelly Curved Forceps, 5 1/2 Inches.” Amazon,
Amazon, 2018, www.amazon.com/Prestige-Medical-Curved-Forceps-
Inches/dp/B005PUZZF0.

Saraf, Sanjay, and Ravi S. Parihar. “Sushruta: The First Plastic Surgeon in 600 B.C.”
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ispub.com/IJPS/4/2/8232.
Scalpel Blade Handle Stainless Steel #4. Aven Tools, 2016,
www.aventools.com/product/scalpel-blade-handle-stainless-steel-4/.

Whitlock, Jennifer, and Msn. “The History of Surgery: A Timeline of Medicine.” Verywell
Health, Verywellhealth, 2018, www.verywellhealth.com/the-history-of-surgery-
timeline-3157332.