Satinsky Clamp: Variants, Sizes and FDA Class

A Satinsky clamp is a long-handled surgical clamp that manufacturers list as a vascular clamp, under names such as Satinsky, DeBakey-Satinsky, Cooley-Satinsky and Satinsky vena cava clamp. Under U.S. federal regulation the vascular clamp device type is defined as a surgical instrument used to occlude a blood vessel temporarily and is classified as Class II. This page is for clinic staff, sterile-processing and supply personnel, and students who need to identify the instrument, read its listed sizes and understand how the FDA treats it.

What is a Satinsky clamp?

A Satinsky clamp is a reusable surgical instrument sold as a vascular clamp. The regulatory definition at 21 CFR 870.4450 is short: "A vascular clamp is a surgical instrument used to occlude a blood vessel temporarily," and the classification is "Class II (performance standards)." Makers add the name of a collaborating surgeon (DeBakey, Cooley, Hunter, Hongkong) or the anatomy a clamp is listed for (vena cava, liver transplant) to the Satinsky name, so the term covers a family of products rather than one fixed pattern.

Who uses it: operating-room teams, and the sterile-processing and supply staff who stock and reprocess vascular instrument sets.

Types and variants

The table below is built from device records in the FDA’s Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID), searched through openFDA for the brand name "Satinsky" (45 records, database last updated 2026-10-01, read 2026-11-07). Each row is a manufacturer-listed product, not a clinical recommendation.

Listed variant	Manufacturer (as listed)	Listed length / jaw	FDA product code
Satinsky vena cava clamp (titanium)	Sontec Instruments	10 in	DXC (Clamp, Vascular)
DeBakey-Satinsky clamp	Sontec Instruments	9.25, 9.5, 9.75, 10 and 11 in in separate records	DXC
Cooley-Satinsky occlusion clamp (titanium)	Sontec Instruments	8.5 in; 52 x 12 mm jaw	DXC
Cooley-Satinsky	Aspen Surgical (Symmetry)	5.5 in	DXC
Satinsky (Symmetry Surgical)	Aspen Surgical	9.25 in with 32 mm jaw; 10 in; 10.25 in with 44 mm jaw	DXC (one 10.25 in record carries GDJ; one 9.75 in record carries DWS)
Micro Satinsky vena cava clamp	Sontec Instruments	4.5 in	DXC
Satinsky neonatal clamp	Sontec Instruments	4.25 in	DXC
Satinsky bulldog clamp	Sontec Instruments	2.5 in	DXC
Hongkong-Satinsky liver transplant clamp	Geister Medizintechnik	30/80 mm jaw, 30 cm; 10/90 mm jaw, 30.5 cm	DXC
DeBakey-Satinsky vena cava clamp	Geister Medizintechnik	24.5 cm	DXC
V.A.T.S. sliding-shaft Satinsky clamp	Sontec Instruments	12.5 in	GCJ
Thoracoscopic clamp, Hunter Satinsky-style	Scanlan International	Listed as a thoracoscopic clamp	GCJ
Satinsky clamp, small (DeBakey teeth)	Platts & Nisbett	235 mm overall, 50 mm jaw	HXD
Debakey Satinsky forceps	N S Surgical Company	24 cm	HTD

Some of these records are marked "Not in Commercial Distribution" in GUDID, so a listing shows that a device was registered, not that it can currently be bought.

Satinsky vs Cooley vs DeBakey

In the records above, DeBakey, Cooley and Hunter are names added by individual makers to the Satinsky name. The records show different listed lengths and jaw dimensions (for example a 52 x 12 mm jaw on the Sontec Cooley-Satinsky against 32 mm and 44 mm jaws on Aspen Symmetry Satinsky models), but the FDA text does not define a standard Satinsky, Cooley or DeBakey pattern. The catalogue specification and instructions for use of the exact product are the way to compare them.

Sizes and specifications that appear in the records

Overall length: listed from 2.5 in (bulldog style) and 4.25 in (neonatal) up to 12.5 in (sliding-shaft thoracoscopic style); most full-size models in the table fall between about 8.5 and 11 in, or 24 to 30.5 cm in metric listings.
Jaw size: where listed, 32 mm to 52 mm in the Sontec, Aspen and Platts & Nisbett records, and 80 to 90 mm on the Geister liver-transplant clamps.
Materials and reprocessing: titanium appears in the names of several Sontec records. The Sontec record read describes a reusable device, not single-use, that the user sterilises before use by moist heat or dry heat; follow the reprocessing instructions of the specific product.

FDA classification of a Satinsky clamp

Most of the records above use product code DXC, "Clamp, Vascular," which corresponds to 21 CFR 870.4450 (Class II). Not every Satinsky-named record does: codes GDJ, GCJ, DWS, HXD and HTD also appear, because each labeler registers its own device. The regulation text does not mention the name "Satinsky." Other clamp types sit under different parts of the CFR, such as umbilical and circumcision clamps at 21 CFR 884.4530 (Class II) and gastro-urology clamps at 21 CFR 876.4730 (Class I); see the Gomco clamp guide for one of those.

Safe use and handling basics

Use a clamp only for the purpose stated in the manufacturer’s instructions for use (IFU); by regulation a vascular clamp is an instrument for temporary vessel occlusion.
Reprocess reusable clamps exactly as the IFU specifies; the Sontec record read states the user sterilises the device before use.
Choice of clamp and technique belongs to the operating surgeon; this page gives no clinical direction.

Common mistakes

Treating "Satinsky" as a single standard pattern. The listed lengths and jaws differ by manufacturer.
Assuming every Satinsky-named device has the same FDA product code or class. The records show several codes.
Assuming a GUDID listing means the product is currently sold. Check the distribution status.

Frequently asked questions

What are the different types of surgical clamps?

The FDA classifies clamps by purpose, so there is no single list. Examples in the CFR include vascular clamps (21 CFR 870.4450, Class II), umbilical and circumcision clamps (21 CFR 884.4530, Class II), gastro-urology clamps (21 CFR 876.4730, Class I) and general-use manual clamps (21 CFR 878.4800, Class I). Satinsky clamps belong to the vascular group.

Which forceps are a vascular clamp?

Whether an instrument is a vascular clamp depends on its regulatory identification (an instrument used to occlude a blood vessel temporarily), not on the word "forceps" in its name. One manufacturer lists a Debakey Satinsky Forceps 24 cm under product code HTD rather than the vascular clamp code DXC, so the listing for the exact product governs.

What are five common types of clamps?

The FDA has no official list of five. Five distinct clamp categories that appear in the CFR and the openFDA classification database are: vascular clamps (21 CFR 870.4450, Class II), umbilical and circumcision clamps (21 CFR 884.4530, Class II), gastro-urology clamps (21 CFR 876.4730, Class I), general-use manual surgical clamps (21 CFR 878.4800, Class I) and carotid artery clamps (21 CFR 882.5175, Class II, listed in openFDA as "Clamp, Carotid Artery"). The Satinsky clamp belongs to the first group.

What is a zeppelin clamp?

No FDA regulation or openFDA device record found for this page defines a "zeppelin clamp" (a search of GUDID brand names for "zeppelin" returned no matches), so this page does not describe one. If a catalogue uses the name, rely on that product’s specification and instructions for use.

What does a Satinsky clamp do?

It is a vascular clamp: an instrument used to occlude a blood vessel temporarily, as defined in 21 CFR 870.4450. How it is applied in surgery is a clinical matter outside this page.

Is a Satinsky clamp the same as a Cooley or DeBakey clamp?

No standard defines them as identical or different. Makers list Cooley-Satinsky and DeBakey-Satinsky variants with their own lengths and jaw dimensions; compare the specification of the exact products.

Sources

21 CFR 870.4450, Vascular clamp, law.cornell.edu, read 2026-11-07.
openFDA device UDI API (GUDID records, brand name Satinsky), open.fda.gov, data last updated 2026-10-01, read 2026-11-07.
21 CFR 878.4800, 884.4530 and 876.4730 classifications, law.cornell.edu and openFDA device classification, read 2026-11.

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