A sternal saw is a
bone cutter
A bone cutter is a surgical instrument used to cut or remove bones. In addition to surgery, they are also used in forensics, torture, and dismemberment.
Types of medical bone cutters include:
* Unpowered – Unpowered bone cutting implements ...
used to perform
median sternotomy
Median sternotomy is a type of surgical procedure in which a vertical inline incision is made along the sternum, after which the sternum itself is divided using a sternal saw. This procedure provides access to the heart and lungs for surgical pro ...
, opening the patient's chest by splitting the breastbone, or
sternum
The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...
. It is a
reciprocating blade saw that resembles a
jigsaw
Jigsaw may refer to:
* Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves
* Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces
Arts and media Comics
* Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...
in appearance. It was invented and introduced by Dr. Edward P. ("Ted") Diethrich in 1963.
[Surgery. 1963 12 01 Sternal saw--new instrument for splitting the sternum. DIETHRICH EB, MORRIS JD. Surgery. ]
See also
*
Instruments used in general surgery
There are many different surgical specialties, some of which require very specific kinds of surgical instruments to perform.
General surgery is a specialty focused on the abdominal contents, as well as the thyroid gland, and diseases involving ...
References
External links
*
Saws
Surgical instruments
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