Diethrich Instruments

What This Collection Covers

• Coronary artery scissors — 60° and 90° angled patterns for arteriotomy extension
• Angled and supercut scissors — 25° and 45° patterns, including a supercut edge
• Circumflex scissors — with stabilizer bar, for the circumflex territory
• Micro coronary bulldog clamps — 8mm and 12mm jaws, straight and angled
• Micro coronary clamp — 20mm straight jaw
• Mini bulldog clamp — angled, 50/8mm
• Aortic clamps — 8.25" aorta clamp (4.7cm wide, 16cm deep) and a 21cm aortic clamp
• Vascular scissors — 17.5cm at 60° and 18cm long at 25°
• Needle holder — for fine vascular suture

Why the Angle Matters

A coronary artery sits on the surface of a beating heart at whatever angle anatomy put it. The surgeon cannot rotate the vessel, so the instrument has to do the rotating. A 90° scissor lets you cut along a vessel running across your line of approach; a 25° scissor follows one running nearly with it.

Getting this wrong does not just feel awkward — an off-axis cut produces a ragged or angled arteriotomy that is harder to suture cleanly. Most cardiovascular trays therefore carry several angulations rather than one general-purpose pair.

How to Choose

Scissor angulation. Pick the angle that lets the blades sit flat along the vessel with your hand in a neutral position. If you are twisting your wrist to make the blades line up, you have the wrong angle in hand.

Clamp jaw length. 8mm for the smallest branch vessels, 12mm for mid-calibre, 20mm and above for larger targets. The jaw should occlude the vessel across its full width without gripping surrounding tissue.

Straight or angled jaws. Straight jaws approach a vessel head-on. Angled jaws let the clamp body sit out of the operative axis so it does not obstruct the suture line you are about to work on.

Supercut edge. A supercut blade carries a honed razor edge along one side. It cuts fine, mobile tissue with less crush and less tendency to push the tissue ahead of the blades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it spelled Diethrich or Dietrich?
Both spellings appear in supplier catalogs for this family of cardiovascular instruments, and you will find both in this collection — we index them together deliberately so a search on either spelling reaches the same range.

What are coronary artery scissors used for?
Opening and extending an arteriotomy in a coronary vessel, typically during bypass grafting. The graduated angulations exist so the blades can be brought onto the vessel at the right orientation without moving the hand out of position.

What is a bulldog clamp?
A small spring clamp that closes under its own tension rather than a ratchet. It occludes a vessel temporarily with light, even pressure and is released simply by squeezing it open. Micro bulldogs like these are sized for coronary and small peripheral vessels.

What does the stabilizer bar on the circumflex scissors do?
It steadies the blades against deflection when working at depth and at an angle, which is exactly the condition in the circumflex territory.

Do you supply these individually or as sets?
Individually — every instrument here can be ordered on its own. For a full cardiovascular schedule, send us your instrument list and our team will quote it line by line, with bulk pricing for distributors and hospital procurement.

Related categories: surgical and vascular clamps, surgical scissors, forceps and needle holders and Yasargil micro instruments.