Needle holder

A Mayo-Hegar needle holder.

Two needle holders.

A needle holder, also called needle driver, is a surgical instrument, similar to a hemostat, used by doctors and surgeons to hold a suturing needle for closing wounds during suturing and surgical procedures.

The parts of a simple needle holder are the jaws, the joint and the handles. Most needle holders also have a clamp mechanism that locks the needle in place, allowing the user to maneuver the needle through various tissues. To maintain a firm grip on the needle, the jaws are often textured and short compared to the handles (increasing the applied force following the principle of a lever).

An example is the Castroviejo needle holder, which is commonly used in eye surgery and microsurgery.

References

• Chih-Chang Chu; J. Anthony von Fraunhofer; Howard P. Greisler (20 December 1996). Wound Closure Biomaterials and Devices. CRC Press. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-8493-4964-5. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Needle holders.