Gomco Clamp Inspection

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Familiarize yourself with the various parts and names of the Gomco Clamp below.

In this image: Figure 1. Parts of the Gomco Clamp.

Figure 1. Parts of the Gomco Clamp.

• Assess for any defective clamp after loosening the nut:

  • Top surface of the base plate should be flat.

  • No light should be seen between base plate and bell. There should be good contact throughout.

  • Most importantly, there should be a minimum distance of 2mm between the arm and the base plate (lever space) before tightening the nut to ensure optimum clamping and hemostasis. Generally, the clamp is packed in the sterile pack with the nut screwed on tightly. You must loosen it before assessing for an appropriate amount of space.

In this image: Figure 2. A normal Gomco Clamp.

Figure 2. A normal Gomco Clamp.

• No light should be seen between the base plate and the ball.

• Minimum distance of 0.085 inches (2.0mm) between the arm and the base plate before tightening nut to ensure optimum clamping.

• The top surface of the base plate should be flat.

In this image: A defective Gomco Clamp.

Figure 3. A defective Gomco clamp.

• There is no space between the rocker arm and the base plate (with the nut already loosened).

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