Reprinted from Journal of Neurosurgery
November 1944, Vol. I, No. 6, page 392

A METHOD OF HOLDING GALEA HEMOSTATS
IN CRANIOTOMIES

F. ADRIAN KANTROWITZ, M.D.

Department of Neurosurgery, The Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn,
Brooklyn, New York

(Received for publication July 27, 1944)

S ONE OF the early steps in the standard technique of performing
A craniotomies for intracranial surgery, a number of small clamps are
placed on the galea about one centimeter apart in order to secure
hemostasis. Usually the hemostats are grouped together either by the use
of a piece of gauze, or by winding a rubber band around them. A clamp was

Fic. 1. A, Holding
clamp showing rubber tub-
ing attached to the blades;
clamp open. #, Holding
clamp applied to a single
hemostat to show the appli-
cation on one ring. C, Hold-
ing clamp applied to a series
of hemostats showing its ap-
pearance and method of use
in an actual operation.

 

devised in order to obviate the necessity of using these methods which at
times are unwieldy.

A piece of latex rubber tubing about 0.5 centimeters in diameter and 14
centimeters long is drawn over the full length of the blades of an ordinary
Carmalt clamp, as shown in Fig. 1. It was found that five or six hemostats
can be held conveniently by one clamp. This method has the added ad-
vantage of holding the hemostats out of the way by applying additional
weight. The application and removal of the clamp is simple, rapid, and de-
pendable, if the blades are entirely covered by the ends of the rubber tubing.

The clamp has been used by the Department of Neurosurgery of The
Jewish Hospital of Brooklyn and found to be convenient .

392