Use of a Defective Clamp
Most serious problems reported to the FDA with the Gomco clamp (major hemorrhage, damage to the penis) have been due to:
1. Use of a defective Gomco clamp,
2. Mixing parts of different clamps made by different manufacturers, or different sizes. Make sure the size of the bell and the size of the base plate match.
3. Operator inexperience.
Know the parts and proper alignment of the Gomco Clamp. See section Circumcision with Gomco Clamp > Inspection of Gomco Clamp in order to review.
To overcome operator inexperience, an experienced faculty member will supervise your circumcisions. You also should learn this module before starting your first circumcision and review selected parts of this module periodically thereafter to refine your technique and review parts forgotten. An initial goal for competence is to have performed 15 circumcisions after completing your FMB1 and FMB2 rotations. If this is not likely to be achieved, then seek other opportunities to gain experience, such as during "off hours" or on a University Pediatrics service patient that needs a circumcision. If there is later a significant time gap between performing circumcisions, it would be prudent to review at least parts of this module as a refresher.