Types of Hemostats and Surgical Forceps: Names, Uses and Pictures
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Hemostats and surgical forceps are the most-used instruments in any operating room, and also the most confused. Surgeons, nurses and students constantly ask what the difference is between a Crile and a Kelly, or what mosquito forceps are actually for. This guide answers those questions with the names, uses and pictures of each instrument, based on the forceps we manufacture at Adas Instruments in German surgical stainless steel.
Hemostats vs Thumb Forceps: The Two Big Families
All “forceps” fall into two families. Thumb forceps (pickups), like the Adson forceps are tweezer-style instruments squeezed between thumb and finger to grasp tissue. Hemostatic forceps (hemostats) are ring-handled, ratcheted instruments that lock closed, designed to clamp blood vessels and hold them without continuous hand pressure. Everything below in this guide belongs to the hemostat/ring-handle family unless noted.
Types of Hemostats
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One more naming note before the list: in American operating rooms hemostats go by several nicknames. You will hear them called snaps, stats, or simply Kellys for the mid-size pattern. They are all the same family of instruments below.
1. Halsted Mosquito Forceps
What are mosquito forceps used for? The mosquito is the smallest standard hemostat (12–12.5 cm) with fine, fully serrated jaws. It clamps small, superficial vessels and delicate bleeding points in plastic, hand, facial and pediatric surgery, and doubles as a holder for suture ends during tying. Available straight and curved.
2. Crile Forceps
What are Crile forceps used for? The Crile (14 cm) is the general-purpose mid-size hemostat. Its jaws carry transverse serrations along the full length, giving a secure grip when clamping vessels and small tissue bundles before ligation or cautery. Every basic surgery set carries several, straight and curved.
3. Kelly Forceps
The Kelly looks almost identical to the Crile, same length, same ring handles and ratchet, but its serrations cover only the distal half of the jaws. The smooth section near the hinge lets it grasp slightly larger tissue with less crushing.
4. Rochester-Péan Forceps
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The larger workhorse (16–24 cm) with full-length serrations, used to clamp bigger vessels and thick tissue pedicles in abdominal, gynecological and general surgery.
Crile vs Kelly Forceps: What Is the Difference?
The only real difference is the serration pattern: Crile jaws are serrated along their entire length; Kelly jaws are serrated on the distal half only. In practice the two names are often used interchangeably in the OR, but on a tray-count sheet they are distinct items. If you need maximum vessel grip, choose the Crile; for hold-and-release work on bulkier tissue, the Kelly’s part-smooth jaw is slightly gentler.
Mosquito vs Crile vs Kelly vs Pean: Size and Serrations Compared
The four standard hemostats differ in length and in how far the serrations run along the jaw. This is the quick way to tell them apart on a tray.
| Hemostat | Length | Serrations | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halsted mosquito | 12 to 12.5 cm | Full length, fine | Small superficial vessels in plastic, hand, facial and pediatric surgery |
| Crile | 14 cm | Full length | General vessel clamping before ligation or cautery |
| Kelly | 14 cm | Distal half only | Slightly larger tissue with less crushing |
| Rochester-Pean | 16 to 24 cm | Full length, heavier jaws | Large vessels and thick tissue pedicles in abdominal and gynecological surgery |
A mosquito and a Crile artery forceps share the full length serration, so size is what separates them: reach for the mosquito on fine bleeders near the skin and the Crile once the vessel is bigger or deeper.
Other Forceps People Ask About
Allis Tissue Forceps
What are Allis forceps used for? The Allis is a ring-handled, ratcheted grasping forceps whose jaws end in short interlocking teeth. It holds firm tissue that will be removed with the specimen, fascia, breast tissue, tumors, because its grip is secure but traumatic. It should never be used on skin edges or delicate structures that stay in the body.
What are bayonet forceps used for? Bayonet forceps are thumb forceps with a stepped, Z-shaped shaft. The offset keeps the surgeon’s hand out of the line of sight when packing the nose, placing dressings deep in the ear canal, or working down a narrow cavity, which is why they are standard in ENT and neurosurgery trays.
Foerster Sponge Forceps
Ring-jawed forceps for holding prep sponges and atraumatic grasping are covered in detail on our Foerster sponge forceps page.
Crile-Wood Needle Holder (Not a Hemostat!)
What is a Crile-Wood needle holder used for? Despite sharing the Crile name, this is a needle holder, not a hemostat: its short, cross-hatched (often tungsten-carbide) jaws are built to lock onto curved suture needles without twisting. The slim jaw suits medium and fine needles in plastic, cardiovascular and general surgery. Never clamp vessels with a needle holder, the cross-hatched jaws damage tissue and the jaws lose alignment.
Quality and Care
All Adas forceps and hemostats are forged from German surgical stainless steel, individually inspected for jaw alignment and ratchet action, and are fully autoclavable. Browse the complete range in our plastic surgery instruments section or shop, or contact us for wholesale pricing, we ship worldwide to the USA, Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hemostat?
A hemostat is a ring handled clamping forceps with a ratchet lock, used to clamp blood vessels and hold tissue during surgery. It looks like a pair of scissors with serrated jaws in place of blades, and the ratchet near the rings keeps it closed. The common types are Halsted mosquito, Crile, Kelly and Rochester-Pean.
What are the main types of hemostats?
From smallest to largest: Halsted mosquito (12.5 cm, fine vessels), Crile (14 cm, general purpose, fully serrated), Kelly (14 cm, half-serrated), and Rochester-Péan (16 cm+, large vessels and pedicles). All come straight or curved.
Are hemostats and artery forceps the same thing?
Yes, “hemostat,” “artery forceps” and “hemostatic forceps” all describe the same ring-handled, ratcheted clamping instruments. Specific patterns (Negus, Overholt, mosquito) are variations for particular depths and angles. In the operating room they are also called snaps or clamps.
What is the difference between Kelly and Pean forceps?
A Pean, usually the Rochester-Pean pattern, is longer and heavier than a Kelly: 16 to 24 cm against 14 cm. Its jaws are serrated along their full length, while the Kelly is serrated on the distal half only. The Kelly suits mid size vessels and tissue in general surgery, and the Pean takes large vessels and thick pedicles deep in the abdomen or pelvis. See the patterns Adas Instruments makes in the hemostats and grasping forceps section.
What are the names of surgical forceps?
Surgical forceps fall into two families. Ring handled forceps with a ratchet: the hemostats (mosquito, Crile, Kelly, Rochester-Pean) and the grasping forceps (Kocher, Allis, Babcock, sponge forceps). Thumb forceps held like tweezers, also called pickups: Adson, Adson Brown, DeBakey, dressing and tissue forceps. Our types of thumb forceps guide covers the second family.
Curved or straight hemostat, which should I choose?
Curved jaws follow tissue planes and improve visibility of the tip, so most surgeons prefer curved for vessel work; straight jaws grip suture ends and tubing more securely on the flat.
What are the parts of a hemostat?
A hemostat has five parts: the finger rings, the shanks, the ratchet near the rings that locks the jaws, the box lock joint, and the serrated jaws. The ratchet usually has three teeth, so the jaws can be closed with light, medium or firm pressure. On a Crile artery forceps the serrations run the full length of the jaw; on a Kelly they cover the tip half only.
What is the difference between Crile and Carmalt forceps?
The serrations run in different directions. Crile jaws carry transverse serrations, across the jaw, for clamping vessels. Carmalt jaws carry longitudinal serrations, along the jaw, with cross-hatching at the tip, so they hold a thick tissue pedicle without letting it slide out. That is why Carmalt forceps are used in hysterectomy and other pedicle clamping. See the patterns we make in the hemostats and grasping forceps section.
