Surgical Instrument Care

Testing your Instruments

Use the following simple tests to assess the performance of some of your commonly used surgical instruments.

Scissor Sharpness
Using scissor test material, make several complete cuts through the material, cutting all the way through to the scissor tip which is the first place to blunt. Red material is used for scissors measuring 12cm to 30cm in length, while yellow material is used for scissors measuring 7cm to 10cm in length. If the scissors cut all the way to the tip, without twisting or biting the material, then they are adequately sharp. Please ask us about purchasing scissor test material.

Needle Holder Jaw Wear
Visual examination is best to assess jaw wear. Wear at the distal tips will be most noticeable, as needle holder jaw tread wears out at the tip before anywhere else.

Kerrison Rongeur
Sharpness of a rongeur can be tested by using a piece of card the same thickness as a manila folder. The rongeur should take a clean bite out of the card.

Bone Cutter
Bone cutting rongeurs should be able to cut cleanly through a piece of card the same thickness as a manila folder.

Laparoscopic Scissor
To test the sharpness, cut through a single layer of tissue paper. The scissor should cut through cleanly without twisting, jamming or biting the paper.