Using a Scalpel during Surgical Procedures Scalpels are one of the most commonly used medical instruments. These tools allow doctors and surgeons to cut into and excise soft tissue. Scalpels are among the most easily recognizable of the surgical tools because of their distinct shape and composition. Put basically, these tools are a blade on a handle, which has been engineered to allow for the greatest amount of precision and control when used by a professional. These blades are incredibly sharp, and are usually made up of the finest steel possible in order to give them strength and longevity. Scalpels are going to be used often in surgeries, due to the need to cut into and remove soft tissue from patients who are being operated on.
Disposable What? These tools have been engineered over the course of time to offer the best positioning and grip for those who use them, while being simple and elegant in design. These tools generally come in two varieties. Disposable scalpels are one use objects which will be utilized during a surgery, and then safely discarded. These can be bought in higher numbers for cheaper, and will do the job just as well as the other option will. Using disposable scalpels is the quicker and more efficient way to go about using these implements. They simply need to be removed from their packaging, utilized, and then put away in a sanitary bin. Non disposable scalpels also have their purpose and function in the operating room. These will need to be sterilized after every use, but there is no need to replace them. As such, they have a lot more staying power than their counterparts.
Using Different Materials There is some variety available with the blades of these units as well. Steel blades are the most common, but obsidian is also used as well. Obsidian is certainly much rarer to see, but it does carry with it some definite advantages. Obsidian blades are almost microscopically sharp, since the volcanic glass can be sheared to an incredibly thin end.
As such, practitioners can use the obsidian blades in order to cut into their patients in such a way that it leaves a very small amount of damage behind, which is not nearly as expansive as it otherwise would be. These implements can also perform work on an incredibly fine scale. The most important thing to note about scalpels is the way they are engineered to have a single purpose. Dedicated implements are crucial for successful surgery, and these are no different than anything else. They have a singular purpose and function, which is to cut. They are not used for any other purpose, which gives the surgeon a great amount of control in using them.
Technological Stepping Stones An exciting advance in the medical field which has developed recently is the ability to utilize electrosurgery units in order to do the work of a scalpel, but more cleanly and effectively. Electrosurgery machines allow the user to cut, sear, and cauterize tissue quickly and efficiently. The practitioner will use a charged cautery pen in order to work with the targeted tissues with a high degree of control and accuracy. The electrical charge carried from the electrosurgery machine into the cautery pen is directed into the tissues, where it can safely cut or cauterize them with a much greater degree of accuracy than traditional options. Electrosurgery is the way of the future, and is the evolution of the scalpel. By combining new technology with medical necessity, such things can advance the field a lot. Surgery has always relied on the ability to safely open up someone with a minimum of injury, and will continue to do so in the future. As medical technology advances and becomes more effective, scalpels will doubtlessly evolve with it, leading to sharper and more effective blades and design for medical professionals to utilize.