Michael Patkin's
archives website

List of Publications:
Surgical instruments and equipment

Reflections & comments in 2005

Welcome (Index page)

Surgery
Heuristics of dissection
Clinical surgery
Instruments and     equipment
Operating theatre design
Surgical nursing

Surgery & ergonomics
General articles
Microsurgery
Laparoscopic surgery

Ergonomics
Ergonomics general
RSI

Information design Organising & storing    information
Presenting & sharing    information
Clinical information

Other writings
Editorials and book    reviews

Miscellany
Cartoons

Personal
Family
C.V.

General standards and care
Selection and care of instruments in general surgery [MIMS Hospital & Equipment Supplies Directory1975-2000]
Everything you ever wanted to know about surgical instruments but were afraid to ask (Gown & Gloves, Davis & Geck 1976)
Standards on edge (Editorial MJA 1970)

Articles written by colleagues [in MIMS]
Selection and care of instruments in orthopaedic surgery (David Vickers, Brisbane)
Selection and care of instruments in micro-surgery (Earl Owen, Sydney)
Selection and care of anaesthetic equipment (Richard Davis, Whyalla, then John Russell, Adelaide)

Instruments devised
A simple surgical silk winder made from an eggbeater (Nursing Times 1964)
A haemostatic clip for surgery (MJA 1971)
A hyperbaric chamber for newborn babies (Anasthesia 1964)
A throwaway laryngoscope for emergency use (Anasthesia 1964)
Ergonomic design of a needleholder (MJA 1969)

Instruments reviewed
Weck hemoclip
Clay-Adams Autoclip

-o0o-

The MIMS publication, the size of a large city phone directory, was the young sibling of the MIMS reference on drugs which nearly every doctor still knows about. "My" MIMS went to hospitals at no cost 10 or 20 copies to the largest (OR supervisors, purchasing departments), and just one to the smallest.

I heard it was to be published by accident in 1975, contacted the publisher, and told him this commercial catalogue must have introductory articles on selection and care of surgical instruments.

Over the next twenty-five years I enviegled a succession of colleagues to write up to 20 editorials every 2 years. What kind of readership they had is a mystery, but they were used as teaching material for the CSSD course at the RAH.

Commercially MIMS was losing money towards the end, and folded in 2002, The publisher, Chris Wills, continues with other successful publications and has generously given permission for copyright to be waived for publication of this material We therefore gratefully acknowledge the role of his companies over the years.

The best source of such information today is Health Devices, published annually by ECRI. This non-profit organisation employs hundreds of biomedical engineers and other experts, and is recognised by WHO and numerous organisations around the world as the leader in this field.