Salpingostomy Instrument Set, 25 Pieces

What a salpingostomy instrument set is

A salpingostomy instrument set is the group of fine instruments used to make an incision in the fallopian tube, remove what is inside it, and leave the tube in place. Google’s own summary gives the two main reasons: a tubal ectopic pregnancy, and repair of a damaged tube to restore fertility. The work is small and delicate, so the tray is made of small and delicate instruments.

What is salpingostomy procedure, in plain terms? A short cut is made along the tube over the pregnancy or the blockage. The contents are lifted out, bleeding is controlled, and the opening is either left to heal or closed with very fine sutures. Linear salpingostomy, the usual form for an ectopic pregnancy, is a single cut along the length of the tube.

Salpingectomy vs salpingostomy is the decision the surgeon makes first. A salpingectomy removes the tube; a salpingostomy keeps it. The choice depends on the size of the pregnancy, bleeding, the state of the other tube and the patient’s wish for future pregnancy. This tray is built for keeping the tube, which is why its instruments are fine rather than heavy.

Salpingostomy is done open or by laparoscopy. This set is for the open operation, through a laparotomy or a small incision. It has no laparoscopic instruments and no abdominal retractor, so it is used together with a laparotomy tray that provides the opening and the retraction.

The case usually arrives as an emergency. An ectopic pregnancy is found on a scan or at the bedside, often at night, and the team has to open a tray quickly and trust that it is complete. For that reason we keep the box to fine instruments that are actually used on the tube, and count them on the table above, so a scrub nurse checking the set at speed can see at once whether a piece is missing. A hospital that treats ectopic pregnancies regularly is better served by two salpingostomy instrument set trays than one, so a second is ready if the first is still in the autoclave from an earlier case.

Key design features

Iris scissors for the tubal incision

Two iris scissors, 11.5 cm, sharp and sharp, one straight and one curved. The fine points make a clean, short cut in the tube wall, and the curved pair trims along the tube’s curve. Google’s summary names iris scissors for exactly this job.

Twelve fine artery forceps

Six straight and six curved Halsted-Mosquito, 12.5 cm. The tube and the mesosalpinx bleed from many small vessels, and fine forceps catch them without crushing the tube. A Crile-Rankin, 16 cm, curved, takes anything larger.

Adson forceps and a probe

Two Adson tissue forceps, 12 cm, with 1×2 teeth, hold the tube wall at a single point. The probe with eye, 14.5 cm by 2 mm, passes along the tube to check it is open after the repair, and can carry a fine thread.

Fine needle holders, specula and tenacula

Two Crile-Wood needle holders, 15 cm, straight, hold the very fine needles used to close the tube. Two Sims vaginal specula, double ended, and two Schroeder tenacula with box locks, 25 cm, let the cervix be held from below when the uterus needs moving or dye needs passing.

What is in the tray, piece by piece

Read off our own pattern record for item AD-95506. Twenty five pieces, the box counted separately.

Where the set is used

Every use below is open tubal surgery, with retraction from a laparotomy tray.

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

Fine instruments on a thin tube. The limits keep them fine and the tube whole.

How it compares with the other open gynecology sets

Our open gynecology trays go from fine to heavy. This is the fine one.

Materials and finish

Every piece in this salpingostomy 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. On a fine tray the question is whether the iris scissors still cut cleanly at the point after many cycles, because a tube cut with a dull scissor has a ragged edge that heals poorly.

The iris scissors are set by hand so the blades meet right to the point. The Adson teeth are fine and even. The Crile-Wood needle holders have narrow jaws that hold small needles without twisting them. The probe is polished along its length so it slides without catching.

Caring for it

Keep the iris scissors and the Adson forceps apart from heavier instruments when washing and packing; a knock is enough to bend a fine point. Open every ratchet for washing and the autoclave.

Test the iris scissors on wet gauze before each list, and run a finger along the probe for any roughness. Send anything dull or rough back with the item code. Fine instruments wear faster than heavy ones and are worth checking more often.

Ordering and wholesale

Every piece of the salpingostomy 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

Is a salpingectomy the same as a salpingostomy?

No. A salpingectomy removes the fallopian tube. A salpingostomy opens it, removes what is inside, and leaves the tube in place. This set is built for the salpingostomy.

What is the difference between salpingostomy and salpingotomy?

Both open the tube. After a salpingostomy the opening is left to heal on its own; after a salpingotomy it is closed with sutures. The same instruments are used, with the fine needle holders for the salpingotomy.

What instrument is used to grasp the Fallopian tube?

A Babcock forceps is the usual tube grasper, because it holds without piercing. This set holds the tube wall with fine Adson forceps; a Babcock can be added, and our abdominal hysterectomy set carries two.

What is linear salpingostomy?

The usual form of salpingostomy for an ectopic pregnancy: a single cut along the length of the tube over the pregnancy, which is then removed.

Can this set be used for laparoscopic salpingostomy?

No. Our salpingostomy instrument set is for open surgery. Laparoscopic instruments are a different range, and this open tray stays the backup when a laparoscopic case has to be converted.

Related products and categories

The retractor and the larger clamps come from the abdominal hysterectomy instrument set. For deep pelvic clamping, see the pelvic instrument set, and for work inside the uterus the dilatation and curettage 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.