Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 12 TSC 288 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Hemostatic Clamps
The idea
Hemostatic clamps, also called hemostats or artery forceps, clamp blood vessels so they can be tied off or sealed with energy.
In practice
Follow how a hemostat is used. First, the surgeon grasps a bleeding vessel with the clamp, whose serrated jaws grip without slipping. Second, the ratchet locks the clamp closed, so it holds on its own. Third, the vessel is then tied with a ligature or sealed with electrosurgery. Fourth, the clamp is released and returned. Hemostats come straight or curved and in several sizes, from small clamps for fine vessels to larger ones for bigger vessels and tissue. Curved hemostats can also be used to spread tissue in blunt dissection.
Where people slip
During heavy bleeding, the surgeon may use several clamps in quick succession. Have more loaded and ready, and keep track of where each clamp goes, because every one must return before closing.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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