Towel clamps secure surgical towels and drapes during medical procedures, with various designs and materials available. They prevent unexpected position changes in the surgical drape, ensuring the field remains sterile and clear. Some companies make multi-purpose tools that can be used for a variety of tasks.
A towel clamp is a surgical tool that is used to secure surgical towels and drapes during a medical procedure. In addition to being used in the operating room, towel clamps are also used in procedures in clinics and doctor’s offices where drapes are used. For example, when a dentist covers a patient to prepare for teeth cleaning, these clamps may be involved. The purpose of the clamp is to make sure the drape stays in place during the procedure.
The basic design of the towel clamp includes locking handles and a tip that can be curved or pointed and can have teeth for pulling. To use the pliers, someone opens it, positions it where it is needed and closes it again. The clamp will hold until someone releases it. The design of the clamp may vary slightly, depending on usage and manufacturer, but is generally easy to use.
In some cases, a towel clamp is disposable, made from a material like plastic. In other cases, the clamps are made from materials such as metal that can be sterilized so the clamps can be reused. From an environmental standpoint, the trade-off between disposable and reusable can be difficult to balance. While disposable clamps generate more waste, sterilizing, cleaning and storing reusable clamps can take up energy and space.
A clamp can be positioned in several ways. The clamp can connect two towels, clip it to a frame, or in the case of the Backhaus clamp, it can also clamp the towels directly to the patient’s skin. In this case, the design is intended to allow the clamp to engage without occluding or pinching, to prevent complications during surgery and pain during surgical recovery. However the clamps are used, they prevent unexpected position changes in the surgical drape, ensuring the field remains sterile and clear so the clinician can focus on the task at hand.
Many surgical supply catalogs contain towel clamps, both reusable and disposable, along with other surgical instruments and accessories. Some companies make multi-purpose tools that can be used to clamp towels, occlude IV lines as needed, and perform a variety of similar tasks. This reduces the amount of tools that need to be kept on hand allowing people to use tools for more functions. However, people should be careful using tools for uses they are not designed for, as this can create a security issue.
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