Leriche Forceps, Curved Delicate Hemostatic Artery Clamps

What the Leriche forceps is

The Leriche forceps is a curved, delicate hemostatic artery clamp used to close a small vessel and stop it bleeding. It is catalogued as Leriche artery forceps, Leriche hemostatic forceps, sometimes simply as a Leriche clamp, and in Search Console the one query this page has ever shown for is leriche instrument. The pattern carries the name of Rene Leriche, the French surgeon.

Its place in a tray is easiest to describe by what sits either side of it. A mosquito clamp is finer and lighter. A full artery forceps is heavier in the jaw and longer in the reach. The Leriche forceps keeps most of the mosquito pattern fineness but adds enough substance that the jaw does not spring open when it is holding an arterial wall.

Key design features of the Leriche forceps

This is a simple instrument, and every feature is about holding a small vessel closed without marking it.

• Curved delicate jaw. The curve lets a tie be thrown behind the clamp without lifting it off the vessel.
• Serrated inner face. Transverse ridges give a non slip hold on wet tissue.
• No teeth. The jaw closes flat, which is what keeps it usable on a vessel wall.
• Box joint. The two halves pass through each other rather than pivoting on a pin, so the fine tips stay in line.
• Ring handle ratchet. Lock the jaw and let go while the suture is placed.

Leriche forceps sizes and build options

One length, one jaw. The chart below is what we make, and it is short because this is a single build rather than a range.

The imperial figure is given because most United States buyers order in inches. Some makers offer this pattern with a blunt tip and some with a fine tooth at the very tip; ours is the plain curved delicate jaw, and that is the only build we list. If you need a toothed tip in this size range, the Kocher delicate pattern is the one to look at instead.

One thing worth saying plainly: descriptions of this pattern differ between manufacturers more than they do on most eponyms. Some catalogues show a blunt tip, some a fine tooth, and some list it under a vascular heading and some under general hemostats. What is on this page describes the instrument we make, which is the plain curved delicate jaw, and nothing else. If a specification matters to your set, ask us before you order rather than assuming a competitor description applies.

Where Leriche forceps are used

What these uses have in common is a small vessel in a shallow field, close enough to the surface that a heavy clamp would bruise what surrounds it. The specialty is in the first column and the procedure words are in the second.

What the jaws hold

This is a clamp, not a needle holder, so there is no suture gauge to quote. What matters is what a delicate curved jaw can take safely.

How the Leriche forceps compares with other patterns

The Leriche is defined by its neighbours more than most patterns are, so the comparison below is the fastest way to place it.

Leriche forceps materials and finish

The Leriche forceps is made from high quality medical grade stainless steel, hardened so the serrations keep their edge and the ratchet keeps its bite. The finish is satin rather than mirror, which cuts 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 and no coating. On a hemostat the jaw closes flat on soft tissue, so an insert adds cost without adding hold, and a coating wears off the serration crests first. The grip comes from the steel and the depth of the ridges cut into it.

Leriche forceps care and sterilization

Rinse under cold running water straight after use, before blood dries into the serrations. A soft brush along the jaw is enough; a wire brush rounds the ridges off and costs you the grip. Open the jaws fully for ultrasonic cleaning and for autoclaving, because a closed box joint traps moisture and a latched ratchet will not steam through. Dry fully, then store with the ratchet released so the spring is not held under load.

Ordering Leriche forceps and wholesale

Adas Instruments supplies hospitals, clinics and distributors across the United States, from stock and to order. Wholesale quantities and instrument set builds are quoted on request. Backorder items dispatch in 10 to 12 working days. Item code AE-49.15, 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 Leriche forceps used for?

They clamp small blood vessels to stop bleeding, and hold a vessel stump while a tie is thrown. The curved delicate jaw suits shallow fields in general, plastic and vascular surgery, where a heavier clamp would bruise the tissue around the vessel. We make the 15 cm length.

What is another name for Leriche forceps?

Leriche artery forceps and Leriche hemostatic forceps are the two forms you will see most in catalogues, and some list it simply as a Leriche clamp. All three describe the same curved delicate hemostat.

How does a Leriche forceps differ from a mosquito forceps?

The Leriche has a slightly heavier jaw and a longer reach. A mosquito is the finer of the two and is the better choice on the smallest vessels, while the Leriche holds an arterial wall without the jaw flexing open. Both are untoothed and both lock on a ratchet.

Is the Leriche forceps a vascular instrument?

Catalogues group it with vascular forceps, and it is used on small vessels, but it is a hemostatic clamp rather than an atraumatic vascular clamp. For arterial reconstruction where the wall must not be marked, a DeBakey pattern is the correct instrument.

Does the Leriche forceps have teeth?

Ours does not. The jaw is plain, curved and serrated, with no tooth at the tip. Descriptions vary between manufacturers on this pattern, so if a toothed tip is what you need, use the Kocher delicate artery forceps instead and you will get the 1×2 interlocking tip.

Related products and categories

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