Surgical Blades
Surgical blades are very important in the medical device field. There are
different varieties of surgical blades available in the market from standard
blade to sharp surgical blades, custom scalpels etc. These blades are
designed in a such a way that they can be easily discarded after use and can
be replaced by another blade on the blade handle. There are also sterile
disposable blades. These types of surgical blades can both retract, extend
and lock into place and then be disposed of when necessary.
Materials
Most surgical blades are made from stainless steel but there are some
blades made from titanium, carbon steel as well.
Applications
Surgical blades are used in range of medical applications like as follows:
- Arthroscopic
- Laparoscopic
- Endoscopic
- Diagnostic
- Orthopedic
- Ophthalmic
- Plastic surgeries
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Selection criteria
Critical factors of surgical blade selection for surgical devices include:
- Stainless steel grade
- Thickness
- Tolerance specifications
- Edge geometry
- Cleaning requirements
- Passivation requirements
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Types of blades used in surgical
procedures
Most surgical procedures use one of the following types of blades.
The blades are given certain numbers depending on the handles used. For
instance, the blades that are used in no. 3 or no. 7 handles are as follows:
- No. 10: This blade is straight along the back edge and
curved along the cutting edge and used for cutting through skin and
muscle.
- No. 11: This is a triangular blade with a sharp point at
the tip and is sharpened along the hypotenuse edge of the triangular
blade. Used for delicate cutting.
- No. 12a: This blade is a crescent-shaped blade sharpened
on the inside edge of the curve. No. 12b: This is a crescent-shaped
blade sharpened on both sides of the curve.
- No. 15: This is a common surgical blade and a small
version of a #10 blade.
- No. 15c: The blade is thin and flat than a regular 15,
with a blade angled down toward the cutting edge.
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There are different surgical blades for no. 4 handle which is
slightly larger than a no. 3 handle and accordingly the blades
commensurately are larger. The blades that are used with a no. 4 handle are
as follows:
- No. 20, 21, 22: It is lager than a no. 10 blade having a
curved cutting edge and an un-sharpened back edge. The 22 blade is a
little larger than the 21, and the no. 21 blade is larger than the
no. 20. No. 23: This is a leaf-shaped blade. It is sharpened on the
leading edge.
- No. 24: It has a more semi-circular blade than no. 23.
- No. 25: Similar to no. 11 blade, this is a straight-edged
blade but with a more sharply angled back edge which make the blade
look like equilateral in shape.
- No. 60: This blade is similar to a long no.10 blade, but
has a very long straight edge, ending in a rounded tip.
- No. 10a: This blade is a like a small disk, sharpened all
round, except where it attaches to the handle.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scalpel
