Cardiothoracic Surgery Instruments: What a Cardiac and Thoracic Set Contains

Chest access: rib spreaders and retractors

Access to the chest depends on a rib spreader that holds the ribs or sternum apart. Finochietto, Finochietto-Burford and Cooley rib spreaders are the classic patterns; they differ in blade shape and size, so a set should hold sizes suitable for adult and, where relevant, paediatric work. Rib contractors are used to bring ribs together at closure.

REDA of Tuttlingen lists these in its cardiovascular and thoracic section. For detail on spreader selection, see our guide to the Finochietto rib spreader.

Closing instruments deserve equal attention: sternal wire holders, wire cutters and needle holders for heavy suture material are used at the end of the case and are often forgotten in the specification. Confirm with the surgeons what they use for sternal closure and add it to the tray list.

Cardiac surgery instruments: clamps and vascular tools

Cardiac surgery instruments focus on atraumatic handling of the aorta, vena cava and cardiac chambers. DeBakey and Cooley atraumatic clamps come in aortic, peripheral, multi-purpose, pediatric and neonatal versions in REDA's range. Satinsky clamps, coarctation clamps and anastomosis clamps allow partial occlusion, and Dardik multi-purpose clamps and Castaneda neonatal clamps serve specialised needs.

A heart instrument set also needs fine scissors, needle holders and forceps for suturing. Our article on vascular clamps and the guide to vascular surgery instruments describe these items in more depth.

• DeBakey and Cooley atraumatic clamps in several sizes
• Satinsky, coarctation and anastomosis clamps
• Neonatal and paediatric clamps for congenital work
• Fine vascular scissors, forceps and needle holders

Thoracic surgery instruments: bronchus clamps and more

Thoracic surgery instruments add bronchus clamps, with Harrington and Price-Thomas patterns listed by REDA, lung-holding and intestinal-type forceps such as Allis and Babcock for delicate tissue, gall-stone and kidney-stone forceps, and clip applicators for open surgery. Bronchus clamps must close a bronchial stump securely without crushing, so jaw alignment and ratchet reliability are key.

Thoracic teams often work with long instruments for the deep chest cavity. Check that the set offers adequate length for patients of different sizes and that the shafts are rigid and not prone to bending.

Planning an open heart surgery instrument set

An open heart surgery instrument set is typically divided into several trays: a basic tray for opening and closing the chest, a vascular tray for cannulation and anastomosis, and a specialist tray for valve or congenital work. Dividing the work this way makes sterile processing and counting easier and allows trays to be reused across procedures.

Quantify how many sets your volume demands. A busy cardiac unit needs duplicates so that the next case is not delayed while trays are reprocessed. Agree the list with surgeons, anaesthetists and theatre nurses, and let the sterile service review reprocessing before the order is placed.

Quality, reprocessing and sourcing

Check jaw alignment, serrations and ratchets on delivery. Atraumatic jaws should show uniform fine serrations without burrs. Reprocess according to the manufacturer's instructions and ISO 17665 practice, and protect fine tips in storage.

Confirm registration of the products with the relevant UAE authority. Beckfinity's specialists can prepare a quotation for cardiac and thoracic instruments from the REDA catalogue after you share your planned procedure list.