A Legacy Revisited: Needle Holders

A needle holder is one of the crucial surgical instruments for surgeons. Its prime function is to steadily hold the needle while applying sutures, thus avoiding injury to the surrounding tissues and to the surgeon’s hand. Wide varieties of needle holders are available for use in orthopaedic practice. This review article briefly describes the biomechanics and other characteristics of some of the commonly used needle holders. The care aspects and wear features of needle holders are also discussed. A surgeon should be aware of the different types of needle holders, their special features, biomechanical properties, and specific uses as they are an important tool in the surgeon’s armamentarium. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 28(2):89–96, 2019) Key words: biomechanics,needle holder, wear