Surgical knives

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nephildevil

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I wonder how do they get sharpened.

I cant imagine a surgeon putting his knife over a wettingstone to sharpen it
Don't think they buy new knives all the time.
And certainly cant imagine them using a blunt scalpel!

So how is it done? some orderly puts them in a certain sharpening device, maybe?
 
Scalpel are like x-acto knives. Once they use the blade part they throw it away and put in a new one into the handle. They do not get re-used.

Saw it on "How it's Made"
 
As far as I know, any mission-critical scalpels (for real surgeries) are one-time and disposable. A surgery usually involves a number of them, and each of them are only used for a few cuts appropriate to their specific cutting purpose, then discarded. In surgery even contamination between different parts of the body in the same person is a major concern (for example a knife used to cut skin is way too dirty for the internal organs), let alone contamination between different patients :eek:. Because of this (necessary!) focus on contamination, each scalpel shouldn't get enough cuts for sharpness even to be a concern.

The one-piece all-steel "fixed blade", reusable scalpels are dissection scalpels, usually used by zoologists and the like. They are, thankfully, not used for surgery.
 
znode said:
As far as I know, any mission-critical scalpels (for real surgeries) are one-time and disposable. A surgery usually involves a number of them, and each of them are only used for a few cuts appropriate to their specific cutting purpose, then discarded. In surgery even contamination between different parts of the body in the same person is a major concern (for example a knife used to cut skin is way too dirty for the internal organs), let alone contamination between different patients :eek:. Because of this (necessary!) focus on contamination, each scalpel shouldn't get enough cuts for sharpness even to be a concern.

The one-piece all-steel "fixed blade", reusable scalpels are dissection scalpels, usually used by zoologists and the like. They are, thankfully, not used for surgery.
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This sounds right to me. The Scalpels used in Biology in college are fixed and used only on dead stuff, so the matter of contamination is not an issue. The ones for surgery have to be disposable since we all know about microscopic things that like to hide everywhere.
 
My understanding is that it's common for used surgical scalpels in the US to be sold for use in other countries where their re-use isn't prohibited. Wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese or others buy many of them, rinse 'em off, and then re-sell them to US medical suppliers.
 
Dog of War said:
My understanding is that it's common for used surgical scalpels in the US to be sold for use in other countries where their re-use isn't prohibited. Wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese or others buy many of them, rinse 'em off, and then re-sell them to US medical suppliers.
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... what??

As far as the facts go, I'm pretty sure all surgical equipment are gamma irradiated and QC'ed State-side, scalpels notwithstanding (in fact, scalpels and hypodermics would probably receive a bit more of scrutiny). If this kind of malpractice was often the case you'd be seeing mass reports of infection anomalies from the researchers whose entire careers are medical practice review.

As far as your post goes, how did the Chinese get into this discussion?! Your post stinks of of medical paranoia and cultural hate. Disgusting medical malpractice is in every culture, and if you want to bring politics into an otherwise technical discussion, go somewhere else.
 
Several cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (transmissable spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) have been traced from the use of scalpels in corneal transplants. The scalpels were then put through the standard sterile protocol (autoclaving etc.). The disease is caused by prions. Can't kill 'em.
 
I sharpen my exacto's back to scalpel sharpness using my harder Arkansas stones. These stones are harder than most you can find today, they were my grandfather's and have been passed down. They are hard enough they are mostly translucent. I use these for sear work on guns as well when doing trigger work. I use a razor strop to finish my pocket knives when I sharpen them and always end up with an extremely sharp edge.
 
znode said:
Your post stinks of of medical paranoia and cultural hate. ... if you want to bring politics into an otherwise technical discussion, go somewhere else.
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You're certainly entitled to disagree with anything I've posted, however, IMO your rhetoric is needlessly inflammatory. If there's a problem with my casual remarks in this casual discussion, then that's the moderators' jobs to bring that up, not yours.
 
Dog of War said:
You're certainly entitled to disagree with anything I've posted, however, IMO your rhetoric is needlessly inflammatory.
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"How are scalpels sharpened?"

"They are not sharpened, they are disposable."

"What about one-piece scalpels?"

"Those are for dissection work."

"Hey did you know the Chinese re-sells us contaminated scalpels to kill us all?"

It's pretty simple to see who is being needlessly inflammatory with "casual remarks". You look for the post with the least facts and information and the most emotion-laden hysteria.
 
I don't know how things work in the States but I can tell you what I know. I am an OR RN and part of my job is to assist the surgeons with their procedures. This entails being responsible for all surgical equipment. Scalpels are one time use/disposible items. As someone mentioned, they are similar to exacto knives. They come sterile and individually packaged. For use they are put on an appropriate handle and at the end of surgery are disposed of in biohazard containers desigen for all sharp object (needles, trocars, wires etc). I suspect this is how things work in American hospitals as well. I do not know what happens to the discarded items in these containers but they contain metal and plastic objects that have come into contact with blood so I would hope they are disposed of in such a way as to not be re-used.
 
The only reusable scalpels in use by modern countries are diamond scalpels. They have real diamond chips and are used primarily by occular surgeons for ultrafine operations needing very clean cuts & micro scarring.

Since these are reusable (they cost more than $1K each), there is always a chance of pathogens remaining on the blade.

As for re-using steel scalpels, they get dumped into biohazard containers which are then destroyed on-site or at licensed biohazard waste treatment centers. Everything is shredded and chemically treated. This reduces the volume by 80% and is then legal to be dumped into landfills.
 
i just happen to have a scalpel sharpener and it has a glass wheel. it came from grant hospital in columbus. from what i was told the wheel ran in an abrasive slurry. anyone interested in seeing picks send me an email.
 
Dog of War said:
My understanding is that it's common for used surgical scalpels in the US to be sold for use in other countries where their re-use isn't prohibited. Wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese or others buy many of them, rinse 'em off, and then re-sell them to US medical suppliers.
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This is borderline trolling and borderline racism. First of all, it is completely unnecessary, outside the original discussion. Next, it is completely fantasy, no link or reference provided. Finally, actually naming "Chinese" as engaged in this is like internet statistics, obviously made up on the spot.

On the possibility that this was done out of carelessness and not malice, I will only issue a warning. That warning will alert moderators to watch out for any repeat of this sort of back-handed bigotry.

Dog of War said:
You're certainly entitled to disagree with anything I've posted, however, IMO your rhetoric is needlessly inflammatory. If there's a problem with my casual remarks in this casual discussion, then that's the moderators' jobs to bring that up, not yours.
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It is not his rhetoric that was inflammatory. Also, moderators do not watch every post in every thread every day, especially not threads so plainly knife-oriented. We do appreciate reports by members of truly inflammatory or inappropriate posts.
 
Esav, out of respect for you, all you contribute and the job you do here, I will respect your position on this as well, and appreciate the warning.

My primary intent was to raise the issues of disposition and reprocessing of single-use surgical instruments, including scalpels, which seemed to me to be relevant to the OP's question. I have had some pertinent experience here, but we'll not get into that.

After considering it a bit, my closing comment to which you and others have taken offense was likely influenced by recent events. Unlike some politicians ;) I will not attempt to somehow wriggle out of it, or suggest that I misspoke -- but I do sincerely apologize to you and anyone else who may have found that remark objectionable.
 
Odds said:
I don't know how things work in the States but I can tell you what I know. I am an OR RN and part of my job is to assist the surgeons with their procedures. This entails being responsible for all surgical equipment. Scalpels are one time use/disposible items. As someone mentioned, they are similar to exacto knives. They come sterile and individually packaged. For use they are put on an appropriate handle and at the end of surgery are disposed of in biohazard containers desigen for all sharp object (needles, trocars, wires etc). I suspect this is how things work in American hospitals as well. I do not know what happens to the discarded items in these containers but they contain metal and plastic objects that have come into contact with blood so I would hope they are disposed of in such a way as to not be re-used.
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Yup, that is how it works in the OR's that I have worked in in the US. I am a Surgical Technologist, and I am the one that loads the scalpel blade on the handle.
 
znode said:
The one-piece all-steel "fixed blade", reusable scalpels are dissection scalpels, usually used by zoologists and the like. They are, thankfully, not used for surgery.
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That's certainly the way i understand it. (asked a mate who's a trainee nurse)
I have a fixed blade scalpel, and they are difficult to sharpen.
 
Don't doctors have the choice of which scalpel they use? I believe most hospitals still have the autoclaves and sterilizing equipment used. It wasn't all that long ago the change to one use scalpels was made, was it?

Learning to sharpen, and do it well used to be a necessessary part of becoming a doctor. Joe
 
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