I recently purchased several surgical instruments from the estate of a Navy Marine surgeon. Viet Nam era--Navy Cross veteran. Beautiful scissors and forceps etc. Gold handles. Made in Germany. I bought them to use for cleaning and taking care of my firearms etc. I was told that today, all of these instruments are discarded after single use. Is that right? Seems a shame.

I did not know the significance of the Navy Cross. Amazing. True American hero.

http://valor.militarytimes.com...php?recipientid=4105

Not a surgeon.

Last time I was in the ER, they gifted me with the instruments they used to suture me up, as they'd have to toss them either way. I took them, of course.
I can't believe it would cost less to sterilize them, but perhaps the risk these days isn't worth it, with the super bacterias hanging out in hospitals.. I'm curious to hear what the consensus is.

Nope some are still sterilized and used again, and some are one use and disposable, usually stuff that comes pre packaged. Speaking from my experience as a RN.

Seems a shame. These instruments are beautiful!

Those instruments can be used thousands of times, on thousands of patients. The gold handled stuff from germany can also be refurbished with new inserts in the tips (usually carbide). I'm assuming they are either V.Mueller or Jarrett brand (or another maker of fine instruments). Great for tying flies! Lemme know if you need additional stuff.

ETA NOT a surgeon

Some procedures utilize disposable instruments.

I can assure that most do not and the instruments are cleaned and packaged and sterilized for the next case.

Sounds like you got some V. Mueller instruments. Good stuff and not inexpensive!

RMD

Not a surgeon, but I've been to the ER enough to know they do sterilize the tools and re-use them....the scalpels are thrown away but the clamps and pliers and other stuff is autoclaved.

I haven’t read anything about the issue recently, but there are/were concerns that things like infectious prions aren’t destroyed by normal sterilization methods and could be transferred from one patient to another.

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:
I recently purchased several surgical instruments from the estate of a Navy Marine surgeon. Viet Nam era--Navy Cross veteran. Beautiful scissors and forceps etc. Gold handles. Made in Germany. I bought them to use for cleaning and taking care of my firearms etc. I was told that today, all of these instruments are discarded after single use. Is that right? Seems a shame.

I did not know the significance of the Navy Cross. Amazing. True American hero.

http://valor.militarytimes.com...php?recipientid=4105

I work for the company that owns Miltex and Jarit, no they are not discarded on purpose. We and others do make single use sterile disposable instruments that are thrown away.

A gold handle generally means the instrument has Tungsten Carbide jaws or scissor edges. Not cheap!

Nice. I paid about 5 bucks each for about 7 instruments.

Interesting anecdote. This Doctor was very respected and when a Senior Boeing exec became dangerously ill while on a business trip to Malasia, they called the Doc in the middle of the night and whisked him to Boeing field, and put him on a 747 and flew him to do the operation. He was the only passenger on a 747.

Although quite a few years ago, RIP Lt Commander. He died on my birthday.

quote:

Originally posted by TexasScrub:
Those instruments can be used thousands of times, on thousands of patients.

ETA NOT a surgeon

also not surgeon but I have worked in the OR since 97 and agree with the above

while there are 'disposable / single patient use' instruments the ones you describe do not sound like disposables.

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NO! Those are good reusable instruments. The disposables are typically made in Pakistan. The gold handle usually signifies non disposable. Excellent find on your part. Btw I am a surgeon. You would be shocked if you saw what those cost to replace these days.

You definitely found "the good stuff." The real surgical instruments are nicely made precision tools.

In the ER, our suture kits have the cheap disposable instruments. I often give them to the patients, otherwise into the trash. Shooters, fishermen, scrap bookers, all love them.

Every so often I use the good instruments, and wonder why we don't get them. Then I get a memo about a lost/broken piece of equipment, and realize why!

More and more surgical instruments and equipment are now disposable, but much is not. Central sterile supply is alive and well, and the iron-boots nurses who run it. Terminal steam sterilization, properly accomplished (and few hospital processes are more closely monitored), following manufacturers' instructions for specific instruments, kills everything. Period. Quality instruments sterilized and reused are obviously more economical, and lots of surgeons prefer them. That said, disposables are often more convenient, with some advantages. Certainly we no longer sterilize and reused scalpel blades or syringe tips or suture needles - disposables are always sharp, readily available and standardized. My $300 reusable Ambler Castroviejos that hold the needle however, are a bargain compared to some disposable Pakistani knockoff that sticks the first time you use them, or won't stay open, or won't lock. So it's a mixed bag with room for both, but quality instruments used for something other than surgery (tying flies for example) will outlast by far their disposable equivalent. Good find!

A lot of instruments used in medicine are cheaper to buy new than send to central steril and use over again. That being said, nothing with gold handles are destroyed. Sounds like personal instruments. Bandage shears and such.