The phrase "needle holder Gegar (Hegar)" was heard by few, only those who are fairly well acquainted with medicine, or rather, with surgery. But a simple layman is interested to know what these words mean.
Family - Surgical Instruments
The name of the item itself indicates that it is designed to hold the needle, but if you look at the Geghar needle holder in the photo, it becomes clear that this item belongs to medical surgical instruments.
For what and from what?
Surgery is a special branch of medicine. All items and tools that are used in the work of surgeons must be functional, sterile, easy to use. The needle holder Geghara, or Mathieu, or Troyanova, or Castroviejo is designed to hold the needle while applying the necessary surgical sutures, which means that the requirements for this tool must be observed very strictly. Practicing physicians over the centuries of the development of surgery have developed several designs of such a surgical instrument. They differ in some features of its various parts.
Many global medical equipment and instrument manufacturing companies also produce surgical instruments, such as the Mayo-Hegar needle holder. For absolute sterilization, it is most convenient to use materials that do not lose their qualities when autoclaving, irradiating or treating with disinfectants. Therefore, surgical instruments are made mainly of high-quality stainless steel for medical purposes.
What should be the needle holder?
The Geghara needle holder has several varieties that allow you to use this type of medical instrument in various surgical interventions. But whatever it may be, its quality must be impeccable. What requirements do surgeons make for such an instrument?
- absolute accuracy during the course of the needle at all stages of work;
- simple needle pick-up and release algorithm;
- the needle in the branches (working parts of the needle holder) must be securely fixed;
- convenient, effective work on various fabrics;
- ergonomics and tool stability;
- the safety of the needle during operation, as a result of the absence of a “chopping effect of branches”;
- long operation with preservation of all working qualities;
- balanced design, eliminating the occurrence of a "lever" effect and rupture of the connected tissues.
Varieties of needle holders
Geghar's needle holder is an assistant to the surgeon in suturing. It allows you to work on different tissues and organs, both on the surface of the body, and in the internal areas, for example, in gynecology. Therefore, it is not surprising that such a surgical instrument is available in several versions. For example, the needle holder Olsen Hegara has special scissors on branches to cut the working thread.
Also, the surgeon's suture tool can have long or shortened handles, different reliefs on the branches - mesh or inclined notches, a longitudinal groove, an abrasive monolayer. In some forms of needle holders, the jaws are made of removable parts from soft alloys. The needle in the working parts of the needle holder must be correctly fixed - in the middle of the jaws to prevent damage to the tissue when the needle is unstable in operation or from breaking the needle itself as a result of the “chopping effect”.
Also, the surgeon’s stitching tool can have a special lock - a cremallera, which allows you to fix the set position of the arms and branches. Needle holders without a rack are often used for atraumatic needles. By its design, the Geghar needle holder is somewhat reminiscent of ordinary stationery or household scissors, and just like scissors, very often its types are equipped with rings at the ends for convenient location and reliable fixation in the surgeon's hand. Moreover, in some cases, the thumb ring is larger than the adjacent one.
The surgeon uses a huge amount of instrument - primary or secondary. It must always be of high quality and meet safety requirements. Geghar's needle holder is a classic version of this kind of surgical instrument designed to hold the needle without touching your hands while suturing.