Medical scalpel blades are instruments used to cut tissue during surgery. Sterilization is crucial for preventing postoperative infection. Common methods include autoclaving, boiling, and immersion. Modern scalpel blades are often made of materials such as stainless steel, with detachable blades. Disposable blades are recommended to minimize the risk of cross-infection.
How to use the surgical blade?
1. Finger pressure is the most common scalpel holding method, leveraging the strength of the wrist and fingers. It is primarily used for abdominal skin incisions and severing clamped tissue.
2. Grasping is used for wide-area, high-force incisions of tough tissue, such as tendons, necrotic tissue, and chronic hyperplasia. The force is applied by the wrist.
3. Pencil-holding is used for making short, small incisions, requiring gentle pressure and precise manipulation, such as separating blood vessels and nerves and making small peritoneal incisions. The movement and force are primarily applied by the fingers.
4. Reverse-handling is a modified version of pen-holding, where the blade is moved from the inside out to avoid damaging deeper tissue or organs, such as in peritoneal incisions or narrow tendon sheaths.