Cardiovascular forceps split into three working families: right-angle dissectors that pass a ligature behind a vessel, hemostats that occlude a bleeding branch, and ring-handled forceps that hold tissue under steady traction. Peak Surgicals stocks 34 patterns across all three, from Leriche Hemostatic Forceps Multiple Sizes (PS-4001A, from $5.28) to Debakey Semb Ligature Carrier (PS-8057, $20.35), all in German stainless steel and CE marked and built under ISO 13485. Compare all 34 patterns in the grid below.
Which Forceps Passes a Ligature Behind a Vessel?
Right-angle forceps, the Mixter family, are what a surgeon reaches for to pass a ligature or vessel loop behind an artery, because the ninety-degree jaw clears the back wall without the tips having to travel through it. Samuel Jason Mixter designed the pattern in Boston and it remains the standard for blunt circumferential dissection. Jaw and shank length change with vessel depth, which is why the family runs to several sizes.
Mixter Forceps (PS-4052-1, from $7.26) covers general right-angle work, while Mixter Thoracic Forceps (PS-4047-1, from $6.16) and University of Michigan Mixter Forceps (PS-1001AB, $7.92) lengthen the shank for intrathoracic depth. Harrington Mixter Forceps (PS-4032, $16.50) and Harrington Forceps (PS-4030, from $13.75) carry a heavier build, and Rochester Mixter Gall Duct Forceps (PS-4044, $6.16) and Lahey Gall Duct Forceps Curved (PS-4033, $6.16) apply the same geometry to duct work. Once the plane is open, Semb Dissecting Forceps Ligature Carriers (PS-4062A, $8.36), Favaloro Semb Ligature Carriers (PS-4064, $12.10), named for the pioneer of coronary bypass grafting, and Debakey Semb Ligature Carrier (PS-8057, $20.35) carry the tie through. We supply every pattern at MOQ 1.
Hemostats for Thoracic and Peripheral Vessels
Thoracic and artery hemostats differ from general hemostats in two things only: shank length and jaw delicacy. A chest cavity needs reach; a coronary branch needs a jaw fine enough not to crush what it holds.
Sarot Intrathoracic Artery Forceps (PS-4021-1, from $7.92), Rumel Thoracic Artery Forceps (PS-4016-1, $7.92) and Julian Thoracic Artery Forceps (PS-4020, $7.92) give the long-shank reach for intrathoracic branches, and Finochietto Thoracic Forceps (PS-1000AAA, $8.25) comes from the Argentine surgeon whose rib spreader still carries his name. Crafoord Artery Forceps (PS-4026, $19.80) trace to Clarence Crafoord, who performed the first successful repair of aortic coarctation.
For finer occlusion, Jacobson Hemostatic Forceps (PS-4006, $9.90) and Jacobson Hemostatic Forceps Curved (PS-4006A, $6.16) come from Julius Jacobson's microvascular practice, while Leriche Hemostatic Forceps (PS-4001, from $6.60) and Leriche Hemostatic Forceps Multiple Sizes (PS-4001A, from $5.28) cover routine work. Meeker Artery Forceps Curved (PS-1002D, from $6.16) and Lawrence Forceps Curved (PS-4039, $9.68) add curve options; peripheral vessels are served by Vanderbilt Deep Vessel Forceps (PS-4013, $9.35), Selman Peripheral Blood Vessel Forceps (PS-8402A, from $13.20) and Selman Peripheral Blood Curved Forceps (PS-8133, $11.00).
Ring-Handled Forceps for Tissue Under Traction
Ring-handled tissue forceps hold rather than occlude: the ratchet keeps constant traction on lung, pericardium or bowel so the surgeon's hand is free, which is the opposite job to a hemostat. Jaw shape decides how much tissue is engaged and how much force reaches it, so the pattern is chosen by tissue type rather than by depth.
Babcock Thoracic Tissue Forceps (PS-8049, $10.45), Babcock's Tissue Holding (PS-8048, from $11.00), and Turner Babcock Tissue Forceps (from $7.92) use William Wayne Babcock's fenestrated, atraumatic jaw for lung and delicate viscera. Allis Ochsner Tissue Forceps (PS-8051, from $11.00) take the opposite approach with short interlocking teeth for a firm hold on tissue that will be excised. Adair Tissue Forceps (PS-8054, from $7.15) and Pennington Tissue Holding Forceps (PS-4056, $6.16) sit between the two, and Bailey Tissue Forceps (PS-4008B, $13.20) and Bailey Forceps (PS-4008, $13.20) come from Charles Bailey's mitral commissurotomy work. Lovelace Lung Forceps 19cm (PS-4055, $7.04) and Kantrowitz Dressing Forceps (PS-4045, from $13.20) complete the range.
Material, Reprocessing and Certification
Every pattern is forged from German stainless steel and passivated for corrosion resistance across repeated cycles. On ratcheted forceps the inspection point is the box lock and ratchet: close the instrument to the first tooth and check it holds without slipping, then check the jaws meet cleanly with no lateral play. Clean immediately after use with a neutral-pH enzymatic solution, brushing the box lock and serrations, then rinse with deionised water and dry fully before autoclaving at 134°C.
These are Class I reusable devices, CE marked and built under ISO 13485, backed by a one-year manufacturing warranty. We ship at MOQ 1 with free shipping over $99, and OEM and private-label production is available for distributors. For occlusion clamps, see Cardiovascular Clamps; for atraumatic thumb forceps, see Cardiovascular Dissecting Forceps; or browse the full Cardiovascular Instruments range. Talk to us about OEM and volume terms.
