All Surgical instruments
23 videos • 8,753 views • by Be HERE A surgical instrument is a device or apparatus used to carry out a specified task during a surgical procedure. Throughout history, surgical instruments have been created from a variety of materials, such as ivory, wood, bronze, iron, and silver. The development of stainless steel in the twentieth century started the modern evolution of surgical instrumentation. The twentieth century brought many changes with the development of electrocautery, ultrasonic, and endoscopic devices. New materials, such as titanium, Vitallium, vanadium, carbides, and polymers, are being used in the manufacturing process of instruments. The vast majority of surgical instruments, however, are still manufactured from stainless steel. Stainless steel is a combination of carbon, chromium, iron, and other metals (alloys). This combination makes the instruments strong and resistant to wear and corrosion. During fabrication, one of three types of finishes is used on stainless steel instruments. The mirror finish is highly polished and reflects light. This causes a glare, but the instrument is highly resistant to corrosion. Gold plating on an instrument signifies that tungsten carbide was incorporated into the manufacturing process. Tungsten carbide is an extremely hard metal that is used to laminate scissor blades to increase and maintain sharpness and is inserted into the jaws of needle holders to increase strength and gripping abilities.