Obsidian scalpel blade cracked#
Obsidian scalpel blade skin#

Depending on the edge being analyzed, he found that the obsidian was 210 to 1050 times sharper than the steel surgical scalpel. Sheets conducted a study on the sharpness difference between several different blades. He knapped his own obsidian blades for the surgery.Īdditionally, anthropologist/archaeologist Payson D. If you look into the thoracic procedures of a man named Don Crabtree from the 1970s, you just might be surprised. As Blademan stated, obsidian scalpels are far superior to the modern steel scalpel. I realize this was posted almost a year ago, but I would like to add my two cents to the topic. Nevertheless they are being used with great success (albeit in limited numbers and only by a handful of surgeons and researchers). It sounds amazing, but the cuts are so clean that’s the way they heal.įor whatever reason, these blades aren’t approved by the FDA and this baffles the daylights out of me too. I can safely say that every cut I ever suffered from an obsidian blade healed without any scaring whatsoever. Since I work with this material, I have been cut from time to time and by all rights ought to look like I’ve been sorting out a bobcat fight, but that’s not at all the case. They should only be used on soft tissue…period. They will not tolerate lateral pressure, but when used properly will perform flawlessly. Coupled with that, they’re exceptionally delicate and have to be handled with care. Like I said they’re ultra-sharp and I’ll put them up against anything on the market. As you can probably well imagine, I do not, nor will I ever mass produce them…it’s a matter of quality over quantity. Each and every one of them is handmade using a technique called “pressure flaking” and I go to extremes to protect that edge as the blade is detatched from the core. I make them to order, so each lot is a customized job for each customer and all made to the customer’s specifications.

Obsidian scalpel blade cracked#

Firstly, I’ve been making them for a number of years now and can tell you that they ARE all they’re cracked up to be and more…no kidding they’re sharp…ultra-sharp. Hello, Believe it or not, I’m one of those elusive guys that makes obsidian scalpels and would like to say a few words about them. A blinded histologic review suggested that obsidian wounds contained fewer inflammatory cells and less granulation tissue at 7 days.” At 42 days, all wounds were barely detectable, thus precluding scar width analysis. At 21 days, scar width was not different in the two groups. Scar width, however, was significantly less in the obsidian wounds at 7, 10, and 14 days (p < 0.005). Tensile strength of the two wound types was not different at 7, 14, 21, and 42 days.

Obsidian scalpel blade skin#

Each rat received two parallel 8-cm dorsal skin incisions, one with an obsidian scalpel and the other with a surgical steel scalpel (no. In order to determine if skin incisions made with obsidian were superior to those made with standard surgical steel, wound tensile strength, scar width, and histology were assessed in 40 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats.

“There are several anecdotal clinical articles claiming wound healing and scar superiority using obsidian (volcanic glass) scalpels. I realize that this is an old question, but just in case anyone else ever looks at this: Don’t you think the surgeon and the patient should be allowed to make informed decisions regarding the risks and possible benefits of any particular treatment or technique? Still, I would think that the blades can be used safely if the surgeon is aware of the limitations. The reason for the lack of approval/commercial interest and development is for the reason you stated: that the blades lack lateral stability and are prone to shattering if used incorrectly. Green stated in his e-mail that there was an appreciable difference from his experience. I have a feeling that if incisions were made that would typically leave a permanent scar, then there would likely be an appreciable difference. When neither bridge collapses, you can’t say that there is no difference in the structural stability of wood and steel). All it says is that neither scalpel left a scar at the end, which would be an inconclusive result (it would be like having two bridges one made of wood and the other made of steel and putting 1 pound on each. As far as the no difference article, I don’t think that the study has shown that there is no difference. He told me that there weren’t any FDA approved obsidian scalpels on the market to his knowledge and that he uses them at his own risk.