Needle driver for suture practice

[Spetzler-Martin]

Current MS3 on my surgery rotation. Noticed that the needle drivers used in the OR are a lot larger and open much more easily than the drivers I've been practicing with at home. This has consequently been throwing me off and I think I need a driver to better simulate the ones used in the OR. I believe Mayo Hegars are used for standard sutures when closing the skin but does anyone happen to know the approximate length used in ORs? Thanks.

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[Smurfette]

Current MS3 on my surgery rotation. Noticed that the needle drivers used in the OR are a lot larger and open much more easily than the drivers I've been practicing with at home. This has consequently been throwing me off and I think I need a driver to better simulate the ones used in the OR. I believe Mayo Hegars are used for standard sutures when closing the skin but does anyone happen to know the approximate length used in ORs? Thanks.

You likely have needle drivers that haven't been serviced and are bent just enough to not click open and closed as smoothly. Surgeons generally make staff tag bad instruments to be set aside for repair.

They come in a variety of sizes depending on what depth of tissue you are working in and what type of needle you are using. If you are mostly sewing skin, those are usually the shorter and lighter needle drivers. If a webster length (4.5-5") is awkwardly short for you (i.e. you have larger hands), try a 5.5-6" one.

 

[droliver]

You can get a quality (enough) needle driver made in India on Amazon or Ebay for $20. Hell, you can buy lots of half a dozen for less then $50.

They're not heirloom quality, but they're good enough for you.

 

[operaman]

I just “borrowed” a disposable straight hemostat from a supply closet. Got some forceps from a suture removal kit. Poor quality but that plus practicing with gloves on was excellent practice. I found it a LOT easier to handle the nicer OR instruments. If you can handle and palm and sew well with gloves with a crap instrument, then you should do just fine with the good stuff.

For practice I liked just using my hospital scrub pants. Tie knots on the drawstrings, and throw sutures through the pant legs. Key is lifting well with the forceps so you don’t stab yourself too often. Works great for just repetitive practice of grabbing needles, throwing, tying, etc. and uses readily available supplies.