What are hemostats & mosquito forceps?

Locking forceps that clamp a vessel or grip tissue and stay closed on a ratchet. Size is the first decision and it tracks the size of what you are clamping: mosquito patterns are fine-tipped and used on small vessels and delicate structures, while Crile, Kelly and Rochester patterns carry heavier jaws for larger bleeders and firmer tissue. Toothed variants add a 1x2 tooth at the tip so the instrument does not slip on dense tissue.

How the hemostats & mosquito forceps range is organised

Mosquito, fine:

Halstead straight and curved 5", Hartman straight and curved 3.5", 45° angled hemostat.

Mosquito, toothed:

Halstead 1x2 teeth.

Standard haemostats:

Crile straight and curved at 5.5" and 6.25", Kelly straight and curved 5.5", Kelly Rankin straight and curved 6.25".

Heavy and toothed:

Kocher 1x2 teeth straight and curved 5.5", Rochester Pean straight and curved.

Choosing the right hemostats & mosquito forcep

Curved jaws let you place the tip around a vessel while keeping the handles clear of the field, which is why most surgeons default to curved for clamping and reserve straight for grasping and passing. Hartman at 3.5" is genuinely small and suits paediatric and tight posterior access; Halstead at 5" is the general-purpose mosquito. Kocher's teeth are aggressive — excellent on fascia and tissue being excised, wrong on anything being retained.