What does hemostat mean?
A hemostat is a surgical instrument used to control bleeding, especially by clamping a blood vessel so that it can be tied, cauterized, or otherwise treated. Its metal jaws are typically held by a locking handle, allowing a clinician to maintain firm pressure without continuing to squeeze the tool by hand. The term is standard in medical and veterinary contexts in both British and American English. In reports, “hemostat” may stand for the instrument itself, while “hemostatic clamp” names the specific type commonly used to seize a vessel. Although the instrument is sometimes described loosely as something that “stops the blood,” its purpose is generally temporary control rather than sealing the vessel. Hemostats may also be mentioned in accounts of procedures involving a bleeding point, where the action of clamping the vessel is as important as the name of the tool. The term is useful in medicine because it identifies a handheld clamping instrument, rather than a drug, dressing, or surgical technique used to manage hemorrhage.
nounA surgical instrument used to control bleeding by gripping and compressing a blood vessel, usually so that the vessel can be tied, cauterized, or otherwise treated.
- A surgical instrument with gripping jaws used to compress a blood vessel and control bleeding.
"The surgeon clamped the severed vessel with a hemostat before tying it off."
"The surgeon applied a hemostat to the bleeding artery."
"The nurse passed the hemostat across the sterile field as the surgeon requested it."
The standard plural is hemostats; “a pair of hemostats” is a common expression in surgical writing.
"The operating room still had several hemostats ready."
One locked clamp can quiet a bleeding vessel long enough for the surgeon to tie it off.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hemostat come from?
The word combines the Greek element haima, meaning “blood,” with a form associated with Greek statos, meaning “standing,” and statis, meaning a condition of standing or stopping. English had already used the suffix in words such as thermostat for devices that maintain a stable condition. Hemostat was coined for a device that arrests bleeding, and haemostat remains a common British spelling.
Related word forms
How hemostat is actually used
Primarily a technical term used in surgical, medical, and veterinary contexts. The British spelling haemostat is also common.
Easily confused with hemostat
A hemostat is the surgical instrument that grips a vessel, whereas hemostasis is the process or condition of stopping bleeding.