Standard Dressing Forceps — 20cm Cardiac Valve Surgery

The 20cm-labelled standard dressing forceps serves cardiac valve surgery — the operations on the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary valves performed through median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass. Valve surgery has become technically refined over decades; the standard tissue forceps at 20cm length handles the pericardium, the aortic adventitia, and the atrial wall during the various procedural steps.

The aortic-valve-replacement workflow

Median sternotomy → pericardiotomy → cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass → aortic cross-clamp → cardioplegia delivery → aortotomy → diseased valve excision → valve sizing → prosthetic valve implantation → aortotomy closure → cross-clamp removal → de-airing → separation from bypass → decannulation → sternal closure. The 20cm dressing forceps participates in tissue handling throughout the 3-4 hour procedure.

Transcatheter alternatives

Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an alternative to surgical AVR for intermediate-and-high-risk patients; surgical AVR remains preferred for younger patients and those with bicuspid valves. The 20cm dressing forceps lives in the surgical-AVR tray and the TAVR conversion tray for hybrid-procedure cases.