scissors - Rocket Medical plc

Care & Maintenance
V
VAGINAL RETRACTOR 39, 40 WEITILSNDER RETRACTOR 37
VASECTOMY FORCEPS 58 WERTHEIM RETRACTOR 39
VIGO SCISSORS 12 WEST RETRACTOR 37
WHEELER SUCTION TUBE 56
VOLKMANN RETRACTOR 39
VOLKMANN SCOOP 54 WHITFIELD EPILATION 22
VULVA RETRACTOR 40 WILDE AURAUNASAL DRESSING 88
WILSON HEY DIATHERMY 34
W WILSON SCISSOR 17, 90
WANGENSTEEN NEEDLEHOLDER 50
WALTON SPUD AND PROBE 53 WIRE CUTTING SCISSORS 14, 84
WARD CRANK BEND SCISSOR 21 WRIGHT NEEDLEHOLDER 46
WATSON CHEYNE DISSECTOR 53 WRIGHT RETRACTOR 38
WATSON SKIN GRAFT HANDLE 87 XYZ
WAUGH DIATHERMY 34 YANKAUER SUCTION TUBE 56
WARWICK TURNER SCISSOR 21,34
CARE & MAINTENANCE
A Guide to Care and Maintenance of Stainless Steel Instruments
Stainless steel is the material of choice for most surgical instruments. Combining high resistance to corrosion and an attractive surface finish,
it retains its strength even in small dimensions and offers a good response in the surgeons’ hands.
Under normal operating room and hospital conditions stainless steel instruments can become spotted and stained from a number of causes.
Certain substances cause pitting and corrosion when left in contact, and the following information may assist the user to understand the
nature of the materials and to provide the special care required to retain the beauty and function for many years.
MATERIAL SELECTION
Stainless steel is not a specific material. It is the name given to a group of corrosion resistant steels containing a specified amount of
chromium.
The composition of stainless steels specified for Rocket Medical instruments is given in BS EN ISO 7153-1:2001 Incorporating Amendment
No 1 to BS5194-1:1991.
MANUFACTURE & CORROSION RESISTANCE
A stainless steel surgical instrument attains its resistance to corrosion passing through a series of manufacturing processes.
I
Selection of correct material
2 Forging, followed by descaling, machining and fitting.The instrument is heat treated for hardening at 950° C to 1020° C and tempered
at 200° C to 350° C as required.
3 The instrument is then polished by a series of successively finer grits followed by electro-polishing, a process in which stainless steel is
made the anode in a suitable electrolyte and a minute amount of metal is removed from its surface as the current flows. This technique
helps to polish areas inaccessible to the polishing mops, i.e. jaws, racks, box joints, etc.
4 Finally, passivation is bathing the finished instrument in a nitric acid solution to burn out foriegn particles that may be embedded on its
surface during manufacturing process. These four processes give the surfce of the surgical instrument a corrosion resistant smooth surface
upon which a continuous layer of chromium oxide soon forms. Rough handling or the use of abrasives can damage this protective
film and open the way to corrosion.
GENERAL
At all times handle instruments carefully. Do not drop into trays, sinks or on to trolleys. Take special care of sharp edged and pointed
instruments. Never imprint on surgical instruments by impact marking. Striking any hardened instrument can cause stresses and severe
damage may result at a later date.
Avoid as far as possible, contact between stainless steel instruments and any of the following substances: Barium chloride, aluminium chloride.
bromide, iodine.
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