Equipment / Instruments

Introduction

Surgical procedures are critically dependent on the availability and proper use of surgical instruments. This section will present the types of basic instruments found in instrument kits used in most surgeries, and will illustrate how they are properly used (Unit 9).
Until the development of antiseptic techniques by Lister in 1867 and the subsequent development of aseptic techniques later in the 19th century, as well as the recognition that microbes are responsible for surgical infections, most surgical instruments and equipment were simply washed to remove gross contamination between surgical procedures. Unit 10 will present the methods used to properly clean and re-sterilize the instruments and equipment between surgical procedures.
In Unit 11 we will explore the many types of implantable materials that are used in surgery. This will include a consideration of the large variety of suture materials that are available to us. Selection of the appropriate sutures and other implants depend on not only a knowledge of the properties of the material, but also a thorough knowledge of the healing characteristics of the tissues and organs into which they are placed as previously described in Unit 7.