Pelvic Instrument Set, Gynecologic, 70 Pieces

What a pelvic instrument set is

A pelvic instrument set, in gynecology, is a tray for surgery on the organs deep in the female pelvis: the uterus, the cervix, the ligaments that hold them and the vaginal vault. Google’s own summary says pelvic sets are sorted by what they are used for, from examination kits to major open surgery. Ours is at the major end. It is a pelvic laparotomy instrument set, made for clamping and closing at depth.

A clear note on the name, because search results mix it up. Much of what turns up for pelvic instrument sets online is orthopedic: plates and reduction tools for a fractured pelvis. This is not that. There is no bone instrument in this box. It is a gynecologic tray, and it sits in our gynecology category for that reason.

The shape of the tray is unusual: 70 pieces and nearly all of them clamps. Fifty two artery and pedicle forceps, compared with a handful of scissors and no retractor at all. That is because it is meant to work alongside a general laparotomy or hysterectomy tray that already provides the retraction, and to give the surgeon enough long clamps for a deep pelvic dissection where many clamps are on at once.

Two items look out of place and are not. The pair of Doyen specula, 85 by 35 mm, and the two Schroeder tenacula are there for the moment in a hysterectomy when the vaginal vault is opened or the cervix has to be drawn up from below. Having them in the same box saves opening a vaginal tray for two instruments, and on a combined abdominal and vaginal case the same tray serves both ends of the operation. That is the reason a clamp tray carries specula at all.

For a team that clamps the pedicles with Heaney forceps, this is the tray to pair with our abdominal hysterectomy set, which uses parametrium forceps instead. The six Heaney-Kanter forceps here are the Heaney hysterectomy forceps pattern with two teeth at the tip.

Key design features

Six Heaney-Kanter forceps

21 cm, curved, with two teeth at the tip. They clamp the uterine vessels and the cardinal and uterosacral ligaments, and the teeth stop a thick pedicle sliding out of the jaw as it is cut. The heaney clamp purpose, in one line, is to hold tissue that is about to be divided and tied.

Long Rochester-Pean forceps

Six at 24 cm and six at 26 cm, all curved. They reach the bottom of the pelvis from an abdominal incision. Two lengths mean the surgeon can stack clamps at different depths without the handles clashing.

A wall of Ochsner-Kocher and Crile forceps

Six Ochsner-Kocher at 16 cm straight, six at 20 cm straight and ten at 20 cm curved, with 1×2 teeth at the tip; twelve Crile at 14 cm, curved. This is the tray that does not run out of clamps.

Long needle holders

Two Masson needle holders at 27 cm and two Heaney needle holders at 21 cm, curved. The Heaney needle holder is curved for placing sutures round a pedicle deep in the pelvis; the long Masson reaches the vaginal vault.

What is in the tray, piece by piece

Read off our own pattern record for item AD-95560, grouped for reading. Seventy pieces, the box counted separately.

Where the set is used

Every use below is deep gynecologic surgery, usually open, with retraction from another tray.

What it does, and what it must not be asked to do

Long clamps near the ureters and the bladder. These limits are the ones that matter.

How it compares with the other open gynecology sets

Our open gynecology trays split the work. This one is the clamp tray.

Materials and finish

Every piece in this pelvic instrument set is made from high quality medical grade stainless steel. The steel itself is made to a German specification. We do not publish a grade number. What matters on a long clamp is that the jaws still meet at the tip under load, because a long instrument magnifies any play in the joint, and no number on a certificate measures that.

The long forceps have box joints, which keep 24 and 26 cm jaws aligned far better than a screw joint. The ratchets close with an even click on each tooth. The Doyen specula are polished on the blade face and satin on the back.

Caring for it

With 52 clamps in one box, count them back in after every case against the table on this page. Open every ratchet and box joint for washing and the autoclave, and brush the Kocher teeth, where tissue collects.

Check that the long Rochester-Pean tips meet when the first ratchet tooth is closed. A long forceps that has sprung lets a vessel slip at the worst depth. We realign and reset; send forceps back with the item code.

Ordering and wholesale

Every piece of the pelvic instrument set is made by Adas Instruments in our own workshop and sold direct, which is why the price sits where it does against the catalog houses. Order one for a single tray, or in quantity for a hospital list or a distributor line. We do OEM work under your own brand and your own item numbers. Send us a sample and we will hold a run to your pattern rather than ours. Stock items ship from our own workshop. Backorder items take 10 to 12 working days to make. Every instrument carries a three year replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. Production is controlled under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Frequently asked questions

What are the uses of Heaney hysterectomy forceps?

Clamping the uterine vessels and the cardinal and uterosacral ligaments during a hysterectomy, so they can be cut and tied. Ours are the Heaney-Kanter pattern, 21 cm, curved, with two teeth.

What type of forceps is used for hysterectomy?

Heavy curved pedicle clamps such as Heaney, Heaney-Kanter or parametrium forceps, with long artery forceps such as the Rochester-Pean and Ochsner-Kocher. This pelvic instrument set carries the Heaney-Kanter and the long artery forceps.

What is a pelvic laparotomy instrument set?

A tray for open surgery in the pelvis through an abdominal incision. Ours is the clamp and closure part of such a tray, and is used with a retractor set.

Is this an orthopedic pelvic set?

No. It is a gynecologic set for surgery on the uterus and pelvic organs. It has no bone instruments.

Does the set include a retractor?

No. It is meant to be used with a tray that has one, such as our abdominal hysterectomy set with its Kirschner retractor.

Related products and categories

The full open tray with retractors is the abdominal hysterectomy instrument set. Tubal surgery uses the salpingostomy instrument set, and vaginal surgery the major vaginal repair instrument set.

All of our trays for this specialty sit under gynecology and obstetrics instrument sets, and the full range of procedure trays is under surgical instrument sets.