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Suture scissors
Also called: stitch scissors, Dean scissors
Scissors for cutting stitches; some have a hooked blade that slides under the suture.
Suture scissors have long handles and short blades for trimming stitches after they are tied and for removing them at a follow-up visit. Some have a small hook on one blade that lifts the suture before cutting. Tissue scissors, used to trim soft tissue, are a different instrument.
How to spot it
- Short blades and long handles; one blade may have a small hook or notch.
What it is used for
- Cutting sutures during surgery and removing sutures later.
Safety and care
- Critical item (it goes into soft tissue or touches bone): clean it, package it and heat-sterilize it after every patient.
- Pass scissors with the handles slightly open toward the operator's fingers; they come back beaks-first, and you palm the beaks so cut pieces do not drop.
Related
Sources: Majid M. Oral Surgery Lec. 9+10: Basic surgical instruments. Al-Mustansiriyah University, Dentalcare.com CE643. The Concepts of Four-handed Dentistry Including Ergonomic Instrument Transfer. Pages: zones of activity, single-handed transfer, two-handed transfer, scissors/hinged instruments, syringe transfer, non-locking forceps