An improved microsurgical clamp and stay suture retractor for use in vascular surgery in rats.

Microsurgical procedures require the use of a variety of expensive precision instruments. This expense can be a problem for surgeons working in surgical research laboratories. To help combat rising expenses in our laboratory, we developed a new microsurgical vascular clamp and a new stay suture retractor for use in experimental surgery in rats. These instruments are inexpensive, can be manufactured in any medical machine shop, and have proved to be efficient and effective in surgical procedures.