Assisting with minor surgery and

suture removal

Minor Surgery includes

• Removal of warts, cysts, tumors, growths, foreign objects

• Performing biopsies of skin growths or tumors• Suturing wounds• Incising and draining body areas

• *Instruments and equipment used depends on the type of surgery/procedure being done.

Scalpel• Instrument with a handle attached to knife

blades• Used to incise (cut) skin and tissue

Surgical Scissors• May have blunt ends or sharp points or both• Used to cut tissue

Hemostats• Curved or straight, usually striated at the ends• Used to compress (clamp) blood vessels to

stop bleeding or grasp tissue

Tissue forceps• Has one or more fine points (teeth) at the tip

of the blades• Used to grasp tissue

Splinter forceps• Has fine pointed ends and no teeth• Used to remove splinters/foreign objects from

skin and/or tissues

Towel clamps• Has sharp points at the end that lock together• Used to attach surgical drapes to each other;

used to clamp tissue that has been dissected

Retractors• Used to hold/draw back sides of a wound or

incision “skin hooks”

Sutures (Stitches)-Applied to hold a wound or incision closed-Some are digested by tissue enzymes and absorbed by the body-Some suture materials like silk, nylon, Dacron, stainless steel, metal skin clips/staples have to removed after tissue/skin has healed

Needle holder/ Needle

• Holder is to hold/support needle while sutures are being inserted

• Needle- slender with an eye at one end; usually curved for easier insertion into skin

Bandage Scissors• Have blunt lower ends• Used to remove dressings and bandages; blunt

ends prevent injury to the skin

• Prep of the surgical tray requires sterile technique to prevent infection

• Instruments must be sterilized• Skin prep is sometimes done before minor

surgery– Clean thoroughly with antiseptic soap– May or may not shave site (WHY?)Local anesthetic is administered by MD to decrease pain- may be an injection, spray, liquid

Suture Removal

• Main instruments used are suture scissors and thumb forceps- these two are frequently packaged in sterilized, disposable kits called suture removal sets

Remember…….

• Need signed consent form from pt• Pt needs pre and post-op instructions• Pt may be fearful/apprehensive• Body tissues, growths, specimens are sent to the

lab for examination (What info would you put on lab requisition?)

• Use standard precautions!!!!!• Clean/sterilize instruments after use• Put sharps in sharps container