SU14.1-4,SU15.1,SU16.1 | Basic Surgical Skills, Biohazard Disposal and MIS — Glossary

A suture broken down by the body over weeks to months (e.g. Vicryl, Monocryl, PDS, catgut); for temporary support.

Toothed tissue-grasping forceps used to hold tissue that is to be removed.

A surgical join between two hollow structures; requires good blood supply, no tension, accurate apposition and no distal obstruction.

Disinfection applied to living tissue (skin/mucosa) using agents such as chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine.

Haemostatic clamps (e.g. Spencer Wells, mosquito) used to clip a bleeding vessel before it is tied or sealed.

A technique or state that keeps an area free of microorganisms during an invasive procedure.

A moist-heat steriliser using saturated steam under pressure; standard cycle 121 degrees C, 15 psi, 15 minutes.

Atraumatic forceps with broad fenestrated blades for gently holding delicate tubular structures such as bowel.

A dormant, highly resistant bacterial form; the benchmark a true sterilization process must destroy.

The internationally recognised marking required on biomedical-waste containers to warn of infectious hazard.

A test pack of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores — the gold-standard proof a cycle achieved sterilization.

Waste generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of patients — tissue, soiled materials, sharps, contaminated plastics, expired drugs — hazardous because it carries pathogens and injury risk.

Container for broken or contaminated glass and metallic body implants; disinfected/autoclaved, then recycled.

The Indian Biomedical Waste Management Rules 2016 (and amendments) governing segregation, colour coding, treatment and disposal of hospital waste.

A daily test of a pre-vacuum steam steriliser for complete air removal and adequate steam penetration.

A plaited multi-strand suture (e.g. silk, Vicryl) with good handling and knots but greater capillarity and infection risk.

The gas used for pneumoperitoneum — inert, non-combustible and highly soluble, so absorbed gas is rapidly cleared by the lungs.

A gloving technique keeping the hands inside the gown cuff until gloved, so skin never touches the glove's outer surface.

Abandoning the laparoscopic approach for an open operation when it cannot be completed safely — a planned safety step, not a failure.

A device that enters sterile tissue or the vascular system and must be sterilized (e.g. surgical instruments, implants).

A needle with sharp cutting edges to penetrate tough tissue such as skin and fascia.

Removal of most pathogenic microorganisms from inanimate surfaces; does not reliably kill spores.

A hot-air steriliser (~160 degrees C for 1–2 h) for moisture-sensitive items such as glassware, powders and sharps.

A chemical gas steriliser for heat-sensitive equipment; requires aeration to remove toxic residue.

The control of bleeding during surgery, for example by clamping a vessel with artery forceps before tying it.

Disinfection that kills all microorganisms except large numbers of bacterial spores; minimum for semi-critical items.

A raised level of carbon dioxide in the blood; a recognised physiological effect of absorbing CO2 during pneumoperitoneum.

A deliberate cut into tissue to gain surgical access; placed for adequate, extensible exposure and sound healing.

Knot-tying performed with the needle holder rather than the hands, the usual method at operation.

Toothed haemostatic forceps that grip tough tissue or pedicles firmly but traumatically.

The natural lines of skin tension; elective incisions placed parallel to them gape less and heal into a finer scar.

Minimally invasive surgery of the abdomen, performed through small ports under camera vision after creating a pneumoperitoneum.

Heavy scissors used for cutting tough tissue and sutures.

Fine, curved scissors used for delicate dissection of soft tissue.

Surgery performed through small ports using a camera and long instruments instead of a large incision; abdominal form is laparoscopy.

A single-strand suture (e.g. Prolene, nylon, PDS) with low tissue drag and less infection but poorer knot security.

An instrument that grips a curved surgical needle for suturing.

A percutaneous injury from a used needle or sharp, risking transmission of blood-borne viruses; commonest during needle recapping.

A suture that persists in tissue (e.g. silk, Prolene, nylon, steel); for long-term strength or later removal.

A device contacting only intact skin, needing low/intermediate-level disinfection (e.g. BP cuff).

Forceps with smooth tips that hold delicate tissue such as bowel and vessels atraumatically.

Insufflation of gas (CO2) into the peritoneal cavity to a working pressure of about 12-15 mmHg, creating a space in which to operate laparoscopically.

A small tubular access channel (typically 5-12 mm) through the abdominal wall through which the laparoscope or instruments are passed.

Container for contaminated recyclable plastics (IV sets, tubing, catheters, urine bags, gloves); autoclaved or microwaved, then shredded and recycled.

An instrument that holds a wound open; self-retaining (e.g. Balfour) stay open alone, hand-held (e.g. Langenbeck, Deaver) are held by an assistant.

A needle with a smooth tapering point that parts soft tissue and viscera without cutting.

A surgical knife of a blade mounted on a handle (No. 3 handle for small blades 10/11/15; No. 4 for larger blades 20-24).

Separating waste into its correct category at the moment and place it is produced, rather than sorting it later.

A device contacting intact mucosa that requires at least high-level disinfection (e.g. flexible endoscope).

Framework ranking devices by infection risk — critical, semi-critical, non-critical — to set the required reprocessing level.

The standard secure surgical knot of two opposite throws; the surgeon's knot adds an extra first throw against slippage.

The microbe-free zone around the operative site, defined by sterile drapes and the sterile parts of gowns, maintained by field discipline.

Destruction or removal of all microbial life, including the highly resistant bacterial spores.

A buried continuous suture in the dermis giving the best cosmetic scar.

The planned anatomical route a surgeon takes to reach the target structure of an operation.

A timed antiseptic scrub or alcohol-based hand rub performed before gowning and gloving.

Material used to hold tissue together; classified by fate in tissue and by filament structure.

Forceps with interlocking teeth that grip skin and fascia securely but would crush delicate tissue.

The standard suture-thickness scale; more zeros denote a finer thread (5-0 is thinner than 2-0).

A spring-loaded needle used in the closed technique to insufflate the abdomen before inserting the first port.

A translucent, puncture-proof container for sharps such as needles and blades; autoclaved or dry-heat treated, then shredded or encapsulated.

Container for anatomical/human-tissue waste, soiled waste, expired medicines, chemical and laboratory/microbiology waste; treated by incineration or deep burial.