# Needle holder

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Surgical instrument

A standard [general surgical](/source/General_surgical) needle holder, with a ratchet handle lock.

Two specialty needle holders, Mathieu needle holder (above) and Castroviejo needle holder (below).

A **needle holder**, also called **needle driver** or **needle forceps**, is a [surgical instrument](/source/Surgical_instrument) similar to a [hemostat](/source/Hemostat), used by [doctors](/source/Physician) and [surgeons](/source/Surgeon) to hold and push a [suturing needle](/source/Surgical_needle) when performing [wound closure](/source/Wound_closure), [ligation](/source/Ligature_(medicine)) and other [surgical procedures](/source/Surgical_procedure) that require [re-anastomosis](/source/Surgical_anastomosis).

Being specialized [forceps](/source/Forceps), the components of a typical needle holder are the *jaws* (often reinforced with [tungsten carbide](/source/Tungsten_carbide) inserts), the hinged *joint* and the *handles* (typically with finger rings at the end). Most needle holders also have a [ratchet](/source/Ratchet_(device)) mechanism that locks the handles together and clamps the needle firmly between the jaws, allowing the user to maneuver the needle through various tissues without having to keep squeezing the grip. To maintain a firm grip on the needle, the jaws are often [textured](/source/Surface_texture) and short compared to the handles (increasing the [mechanical advantage](/source/Mechanical_advantage) using the principle of a [lever](/source/Lever)).

Most needle holders are designed to be gripped with the fingers and palm like [scissors](/source/Scissors). However, some are designed for a [tweezers](/source/Tweezers)-like grip to allow finer, more precise movements around delicate structures or narrow spaces. An example of such is the *Castroviejo needle holder* (named after [Spanish American](/source/Spanish_American) eye surgeon [Ramón Castroviejo](/source/Ram%C3%B3n_Castroviejo)), which is commonly used in [eye surgery](/source/Eye_surgery), [microsurgery](/source/Microsurgery) and [dental surgery](/source/Dental_surgery).

		- Mayo-Hegar needle driver

		- Close-up of a Mayo-Hegar needle driver showing its locking ratchet mechanism

		- Close-up of a needle driver showing the cross-serrated teeth of its jaws

## References

- Chih-Chang Chu; J. Anthony von Fraunhofer; Howard P. Greisler (20 December 1996). [*Wound Closure Biomaterials and Devices*](https://books.google.com/books?id=oFlXOeHboL8C&pg=PA35). CRC Press. pp. 35–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8493-4964-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8493-4964-5).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Needle holders](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Needle_holders).

v t e Surgical instruments Dissecting Scalpel Catlin RF knife Liston knife Lancet Von Graefe knife Surgical scissors Bandage scissors Iris scissors Mayo scissors Metzenbaum scissors Tenotomy scissors Other Bone cutter Curette Dermatome Drill Cranial Dental Osteotome Rasp Rongeur Trocar Grasping Forceps Bulldog Debakey Obstetrical Hemostat Tenaculum Clamping Allis clamp Aortic cross-clamp Foerster clamp Gomco clamp Hemostat Pennington clamp Retracting and viewing Retractor Senn retractor Rib spreader Examination and prep Dilator Endoscope Head mirror Speculum Sounds Suction Yankauer suction tip Measurement Calipers Ruler Drainage Surgical drain Jackson-Pratt Penrose Other Catheter Hypodermic needle Periodontal probe Surgical stapler Surgical suture

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