Potts-Smith Scissors 19.5 cm B/B Angled

Potts-Smith Scissors 19.5 cm B/B Angled

The Potts-Smith Scissors 19.5 cm B/B Angled is a long-shank vascular scissors instrument forged from German-grade surgical stainless steel, measuring 19.5 cm in total length. Both blade tips are fully rounded, the B/B designation confirming no sharp point on either end. The instrument carries exceptionally long, slender straight shanks with a short blade pair offset at a distinct angle at the shank-to-blade junction. This blade-to-shank geometry traces directly to Dr. Willis Potts, who in 1946 designed this angled scissors for the first direct aorta-to-pulmonary artery anastomosis in Tetralogy of Fallot repair. One finger ring is noticeably larger than the other, and the satin body finish reduces glare under cardiothoracic lighting.

The long shank length of the Potts Smith Scissors Angled pattern positions the surgeon’s hand well above the thoracic or abdominal operative field while the short-angled blade pair works directly against the vessel wall at depth. The blunt tips navigate around adventitial tissue and vessel bifurcations without the risk of inadvertent vessel perforation during incision extension.

Cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons use the Potts-Smith Scissors 19.5 cm B/B Angled for arteriotomy and venotomy incision extension, aortic root dissection, pulmonary artery opening, saphenous vein graft preparation, and vessel sheath separation during peripheral vascular bypass procedures. Both blunt tips protect the posterior vessel wall as the blades advance along the incision line. These potts-smith scissors are also deployed in pediatric cardiac surgery for septal defect repair and congenital heart anastomosis work where deep thoracic reach is required.

Leader Surgical produces this instrument with the blade offset angle and shank length held to the original Potts design specifications, a manufacturing commitment that ensures the instrument geometry cardiovascular surgeons have relied on since 1946 remains unchanged in every unit that leaves production.

What does the “B/B” designation stand for?
“B/B” stands for Blunt/Blunt tips. This means both the upper and lower blades have rounded, non-piercing ends, which are designed to allow for safe tissue exploration and blunt dissection without accidentally puncturing delicate vascular walls.