Crile Artery Forceps, Straight and Curved Hemostatic Clamps

What the Crile artery forceps is

The Crile artery forceps is a ring handled hemostatic clamp used to occlude a vessel and stop it bleeding. Surgeons also list it as a Crile hemostat, a Crile clamp or a Crile hemostatic clamp. The pattern is named after George Washington Crile, the American surgeon, and it sits in the middle of the artery forceps range: bigger in the jaw than a mosquito clamp, finer than a Rochester Pean.

What makes it a Crile and not something else is the serration. The transverse ridges run the entire length of both jaws. On a Kelly they stop about halfway. That single difference is the most searched question about this instrument, and it is the reason the jaws hold a vessel evenly from tip to hinge instead of gripping hardest at the front.

Key design features of the Crile artery forceps

Every part of the instrument is there to keep a vessel closed without cutting it.

• Full jaw serrations. Transverse ridges along the whole inner face, so clamping force is spread rather than concentrated.
• No teeth. The jaw closes flat, which is what makes it atraumatic enough for a vessel wall.
• Box joint. The two halves pass through each other rather than riding on a pin, so the jaw tips stay in line after years of use.
• Multi position ratchet. The catch steps through several notches above the finger rings, so you set the clamping pressure and let go.
• Curved or straight tip. Straight for a vessel on the surface, curved to reach around a structure.

Crile artery forceps sizes and build options

Two lengths, each in a curved or a straight tip. The size chart below is the variation list, so what you see is what ships.

Choose 14 cm for superficial work and 16 cm where the vessel sits deeper. The imperial figures are there because most United States buyers order in inches. The tip choice matters more than the length on this pattern: a straight jaw sits flat on a vessel lying on the surface, while a curved jaw lets you come around behind a structure without lifting it. Most trays carry both.

Where Crile artery forceps are used

The Crile artery forceps is a general instrument, which is why it turns up on so many trays. What the uses below have in common is a vessel or a tissue bundle that needs holding shut while something else is done. The specialty is in the first column and the actual procedure words are in the second, because those are what surgeons search for.

What the jaws hold

This pattern has no suture gauge, because it is a clamp and not a needle holder. What matters instead is what the jaw can take without damaging it.

How the Crile artery forceps compares with other patterns

Four instruments sit close enough to the Crile artery forceps to be confused with it, and the differences are small but real. Searches for crile forceps vs kelly forceps outnumber every other comparison on this pattern, which is why that row is first.

Crile artery forceps materials and finish

The Crile artery forceps is made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, hardened so the serrations keep their shape and the ratchet keeps its bite. The finish is satin rather than mirror, which cuts the glare under operating lights. The steel itself is made to a German specification. The finished instrument carries the CE mark.

There is no carbide insert on this pattern and there is no coating. A hemostat works by closing flat on soft tissue, so an insert would add cost without adding hold, and a coating would wear off the serration crests first. What keeps the grip is the hardness of the steel and the depth of the ridges cut into it.

Crile artery forceps care and sterilization

Rinse under cold running water straight after use, before blood has a chance to dry in the serrations. A soft brush along the jaw is enough; a wire brush will round the ridges off. Open the jaws fully for ultrasonic cleaning and for autoclaving, because a closed box joint traps moisture and a closed ratchet will not steam through. Dry fully, then store with the ratchet unlatched so the spring is not held under load.

Ordering Crile artery forceps and wholesale

Adas Instruments makes these to order as well as from stock, and we supply hospitals, clinics and distributors in the United States. Wholesale quantities and instrument set builds are quoted on request. Backorder items dispatch in 10 to 12 working days. Item code AE-19.16, and 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 Crile artery forceps used for?

They clamp blood vessels to stop bleeding, and hold tissue bundles and vascular pedicles while a tie is thrown. The full jaw serration lets the same instrument take fascia and soft tissue without teeth, which is why it is a general purpose clamp rather than a specialist one. In our range it comes in 14 cm and 16 cm.

What is the difference between Crile and Kelly forceps?

The serrations. A Crile is serrated along the full length of the jaw; a Kelly is serrated only about halfway, leaving the part nearest the hinge smooth. Both are ring handled, ratcheted and untoothed, and both come in similar lengths, so the jaw is the surest way to tell them apart.

What is the difference between Rochester Pean and Crile forceps?

Both are fully serrated. The Rochester Pean is the longer, heavier instrument, built for deep fields and larger vessels, while the Crile is finer in the jaw and easier to work with in a shallow wound. If you are choosing between them, pick on reach first and jaw weight second.

What is another name for Crile forceps?

Crile hemostat is the common American form, and you will also see Crile clamp, Crile hemostatic clamp and Crile hemostatic forceps in catalogues. In a United States operating room the shortest form you will hear is simply criles, usually curved criles.

What sizes do Crile artery forceps come in?

We supply 14 cm, which is 5.5 inches, and 16 cm, which is 6 and a quarter inches. Both are available with a curved or a straight tip. Other lengths exist in the wider trade, but these are the two we make.

Related products and categories

Surgeons who work with the Crile artery forceps usually compare it against the baby Mixter artery forceps, the Leriche forceps and the Kocher delicate artery forceps. The whole family sits in hemostats and grasping forceps, and this pattern is also listed under breast surgery instruments.