Background: Instrumentation prevents needle stick injury.
Objective: To review forceps that insure safety and facilitate tissue-handling and knot-tying efficiency.
Method: Medical literature reports were reviewed using Ovid. Commercially available instruments were qualitatively tested.
Results: Suture platforms securely hold suture needles and can be used during knot tying. A wide range of combination forceps have been invented and can be broadly categorized as either skin hook or toothed combination forceps.
Conclusions: Combination forceps fuse both efficiency and safety. Skin hook forceps may eventually be the optimal combination instrument, but toothed combination forceps are recommended.