Sustained-Grip, Pressure-Release Tissue Forceps

Abstract

To the Editor.— The sustained pinch necessary to hold pickup forceps during plastic closure of large wounds may cause fatigue of the thenar musculature. This can be avoided by using a large bulldog vascular clamp, modified to act as skin forceps by adding a 7.5-cm knurled handle (Figure). After grasping the skin edge, tension between the operator's thumb and index finger is relaxed and the instrument is lightly balanced in the hand. Spring tension in the bulldog clamp assures its hold on the tissue. Pinch is released by light pressure at the finger grips. This action is opposite to that of conventional forceps. Therefore, thenar tension need not be maintained to assure skin purchase. The instrument's jaws are serrated for nonslip retention of vessels, so it cannot damage tissue while holding firm. The forceps are easily fabricated from readily available components, simple to handle, and prevent the discomfort often occurring