What Is a Hemostat? Types, Parts & Uses

Last verified: October 6, 2026. A hemostat is a hand-held clamp with scissor-style finger rings and a ratcheted lock, used to grip, hold, or compress. The name comes from its original and best-known job, pinching off a blood vessel to control bleeding, but the same locking design is useful far beyond surgery. This guide explains what a hemostat is, how it is built, the main types, how it differs from similar instruments, and what supply and lab managers should know about buying and handling them.

What Is a Hemostat?

A hemostat (also called a hemostatic forceps or artery forceps) looks like a pair of scissors with blunt, grasping jaws instead of blades. Squeezing the finger rings closes the jaws, and a set of interlocking teeth on the handles, called the ratchet, catches and holds the jaws closed without the user needing to keep squeezing. Releasing the lock is a small deliberate motion of the hands. That hands-free holding is the defining feature: the instrument stays clamped on whatever it grips until someone chooses to let go.

Why It Exists: The Problem a Hemostat Solves

During a procedure, a person often needs to hold something steady, such as a vessel, a piece of tissue, or a suture end, while their hands do something else. Squeezing a plain pair of forceps for minutes is tiring and imprecise. The locking mechanism of a hemostat turns the instrument into a temporary extra hand. Its jaws are typically ridged on the inside so they grip firmly rather than slip, and the clamp can be left in place, repositioned, or removed as the procedure demands.

Parts of a Hemostat

• Jaws (blades) — the working end that grips. The inside surfaces usually carry serrations, and the pattern and extent of those serrations vary by model.
• Box lock (joint) — the pivot where the two halves of the instrument are joined, allowing them to open and close like scissors.
• Shanks — the section between the joint and the finger rings. They carry the force from the hand to the jaws.
• Ratchet — the interlocking teeth on the shanks that hold the clamp closed at a chosen level of closure.
• Finger rings (handles) — the loops where the thumb and a finger go.

Who Uses a Hemostat

Surgeons, surgical assistants, and operating-room staff use hemostats throughout many procedures. Dermatologists and emergency clinicians use smaller ones for minor procedures. Veterinarians use them routinely, and laboratory researchers use them for handling tissue, holding tubing or small parts, and removing items from containers. Outside medicine, hemostats are popular with people who tie fishing flies, work with jewelry or electronics, or do crafts, precisely because the lock acts as a small, reliable clamp. Because the tool is a general-purpose gripper, purchasing staff sometimes see the same model ordered by clinical and non-clinical departments.

Types of Hemostats

Hemostats are described by size, jaw shape, and tip style. The names below are widely used, although exact dimensions and naming can differ between manufacturers.

• Mosquito hemostat — a small, delicate clamp with fine jaws, used where precision and a small footprint matter.
• Kelly hemostat — a mid-sized clamp, commonly with serrations over only part of the jaw. It suits general-purpose clamping of larger structures.
• Crile hemostat — similar to a Kelly in size, but with serrations running the full length of the jaws.
• Halsted mosquito — a mosquito-style clamp, often with fine, fully serrated jaws.
• Straight vs. curved jaws — straight jaws grip along a line, while curved jaws let the user see around the tip and reach into contoured spaces.
• Standard vs. extra-long — longer versions reach deeper cavities or keep hands further from the work area.

The CASRAI guide to medical forceps types and selection places hemostats in the broader family of forceps and clamps.

How a Hemostat Differs from Related Instruments

• Hemostat vs. forceps (tweezers) — ordinary forceps are held shut by continuous finger pressure and typically have no lock. A hemostat is a locking instrument. Many people use “forceps” as a family name that includes hemostats, but in everyday speech the non-locking, spring-type tool is what is meant.
• Hemostat vs. needle holder — a needle holder looks similar and also locks, but its jaws are shorter and stronger, with a different gripping surface made to hold a curved suture needle firmly. Using the wrong one can damage the instrument or the item held.
• Hemostat vs. scissors — the handles are alike, but scissors have cutting blades. A hemostat does not cut.
• Hemostat vs. tourniquet — both can be related to controlling blood flow, but a tourniquet restricts flow in a limb, while a hemostat pinches a small vessel or holds an item locally.
• Hemostat vs. scalpel and suture — in a typical set-up these instruments work together: the scalpel cuts, the hemostat holds, and the suture closes.

Practical Relevance for Research Administration and Procurement

Hemostats are durable, so they are usually treated as reusable instruments rather than consumables, although single-use sterile versions exist and are common for minor procedures. That choice drives most of the cost and logistics decisions.

• Reusable vs. disposable. Reusable stainless-steel hemostats have a higher up-front cost and need cleaning, inspection, and sterilization between uses, typically through an autoclave or comparable process. Disposable versions avoid that workflow but are bought repeatedly.
• Condition matters. A ratchet that no longer holds, jaws that do not meet cleanly, or a stiff joint are common reasons to retire an instrument. Programs that reuse instruments generally inspect them regularly.
• Standardizing the catalog. Because there are so many sizes and tip styles, departments often agree on a short list of models. This reduces stock-keeping and makes sets easier to build.
• Sharps and handling. Hemostats are not blades, but instruments contaminated with biological material still need appropriate handling and decontamination before reprocessing.
• Non-clinical labs. Many research groups buy hemostats for general bench use. In those cases a non-sterile product is often adequate, but the lab should confirm the need against its protocol.

Care, Inspection, and Lifecycle

A hemostat is a precision mechanical tool, and its useful life depends heavily on how it is handled. Instruments are generally cleaned promptly after use so that biological material does not dry onto the jaws and serrations, where it is hard to remove. Staff who reprocess instruments typically open the ratchet fully during cleaning so that the interlocking teeth and the box lock can be reached. After cleaning, instruments are inspected, because a clamp that looks fine closed can hide wear.

Common signs of wear include jaws that no longer line up when closed, tips that are bent or chipped, a ratchet that slips or releases on its own, and a joint that has become stiff or is loose enough to wobble. Rust spots or pitting are also reasons to remove an instrument from service. Many facilities send worn instruments for repair or replace them, and the economics depend on the grade of the instrument and the cost of repair. Lower-cost instruments are often simply replaced, while higher-grade ones may be repaired.

Common misconceptions

One misconception is that all clamps are interchangeable. The jaw shape, length, and serration pattern change what an instrument grips well and what it may damage. A second is that a hemostat is only for stopping bleeding. Although the name points to that purpose, in practice it is used for holding, positioning, and retrieving as often as for clamping vessels. A third is that a locking instrument is automatically safe to leave attached to something. The lock keeps the jaws closed, but the user remains responsible for noticing when an instrument has been left in place, which is why instrument counts are a standard part of many procedures.

The Short Version

A hemostat is a locking clamp with scissor-style handles. The ratchet holds the jaws closed so the instrument can act as a temporary extra hand. It comes in several sizes and jaw shapes, such as mosquito, Kelly, and Crile styles. It is related to forceps, needle holders, and scissors, but each has a different job.

This page offers general information only. It is not clinical or safety training. Always follow your institution’s procedures and the manufacturer’s instructions for any specific instrument.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a hemostat used for?

A hemostat is used to grip, hold, and clamp. In surgery that includes clamping small vessels and holding tissue or suture ends. Outside surgery it is used as a locking gripper in laboratories, crafts, and other fine work.

What is the difference between a hemostat and forceps?

Standard forceps are held shut by finger pressure and usually do not lock. A hemostat has finger rings and a ratchet that lock the jaws closed. The word “forceps” is also used more broadly, and hemostats are sometimes called hemostatic forceps.

What is the difference between a hemostat and a needle holder?

They look alike, but a needle holder has shorter, sturdier jaws with a surface designed to hold a suture needle securely. A hemostat is made for gripping and clamping tissue and vessels.

What does a Kelly hemostat look like compared with a mosquito hemostat?

A mosquito hemostat is smaller and finer. A Kelly is larger and sturdier, and is commonly serrated over part of the jaw. Exact sizes differ by manufacturer.

Are hemostats reusable?

Stainless-steel hemostats are generally designed to be cleaned and sterilized for reuse according to the facility’s reprocessing procedures, while single-use sterile versions are made to be discarded after one procedure.

Can a hemostat cut?

No. A hemostat has blunt, serrated jaws made for gripping. Scissors or a scalpel are used for cutting.