Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 12 TSC 292 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Tissue Clamps: Allis, Babcock, Kocher
The idea
Tissue clamps grasp and hold tissue rather than vessels, and three common ones are the Allis, the Babcock and the Kocher.
In practice
Compare them by how they treat tissue. First, the Allis has short interlocking teeth that grasp firm tissue, such as fascia, securely; it is often used on tissue that is being removed, and some use it to hold bowel during a resection. Second, the Babcock has smooth, rounded, open jaws that encircle tubular structures, such as intestine, without crushing them. Third, the Kocher has teeth at its tip and is a traumatic clamp, used on tough, slippery tissue such as fascia, where a clamp without teeth would slip.
Where people slip
The Allis is not gentle tissue handling. When the surgeon needs to hold bowel that will stay in the patient, the atraumatic Babcock is usually the right choice, and the scrub person anticipates that.
Your place on the trail
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